Worst Case Scenario
by PhoenixDawnBou
Summary: Dean and Sam investigate a "medical mystery" in Neptune, California. Keith Mars is sick, and Veronica is getting desperate. After learning some supernatural lore, Veronica hatches a plan to save Keith, no matter what it costs. Can Sam and Dean stop her in time? Rated T for language and some content Dean/Veronica .
1. Chapter 1

The backroad highway shimmered in the bright sunlight, the heat bouncing off the blacktop in waves. A black 1967 Impala roared through the silence of a country afternoon, the echoes of classic rock streaming after it. Inside the car, Dean smiled at the feel of the steering wheel in his hands and the scenery blurring past. Sam, less enchanted with the speed of the car and the volume of the music, hunched over a newspaper, intently reading. Dean knew at a glance that Sam was Finding a Case. But Dean just wanted the open road, good tunes, and as many miles as possible between them and that graveyard in Arizona. Some pie would be an added bonus, but right now he just wanted to get the hell out of dodge.

"Dean." Sam said. Dean ignored him, pretending the music was too loud to hear him. Sam had a careful tone in his voice, like all of a sudden Dean was a fragile delicate little thing that needed coddling. Just because a guy sells his soul is no reason to think that guy is all of a sudden fragile, Dean thought. Or that he couldn't take care of himself. Or that he wasn't prepared to live with the deal he'd made. And he had to live with the deal, he had to abide by it. The alternative was just too much to entertain.

Dean resolutely pushed away the memory of those sad, desperate days in South Dakota. The image of Sammy in that cabin, lifeless and cold, flickered on the edges of his thoughts, but he tried to think of something else. Anything else. The world had gone dark for Dean in those days, darker than after John had died, darker than any other times he could remember. His whole life had collapsed into a pinpoint of unbearable loss and grief. He couldn't see a way to go on without Sam. He couldn't face the rest of his life-short as he'd intended it to be- if Sam wasn't in the world, so he'd done the only thing he could think of: he'd summoned a crossroads demon and sold his soul for Sam's life. That hellbitch had driven a hard bargain, too, offering only a year when the going rate was ten. But he'd agreed to it and intended to hold up his end, because the penalty for going back on it was Sam dead, this time for good. And he couldn't have that; Sam was his responsibility and he'd done the best he could at the time, and Sammy was a strong kid. Sam was a survivor, had been ever since he was six months old.

But can he survive losing you? His doubt whispered at him. You couldn't handle losing him. Dean frowned at the road, and then impatiently turned down the music.

"What ya got, Sammy?" He demanded. He glanced over to see Sam watching him with that pitying and sad expression in his eyes. There might have been a flicker of anger there as well, because of all people, Dean knew what it was like to have someone you love, someone vital to you, sell their soul for you. But Dean didn't want to think about that, either. "any demons to gank?"

"I don't know, Dean." Sam said, dropping his eyes to the newspaper in his lap and frowning slightly. "Have you ever heard of Neptune, California?" Dean thought for a moment, the name was familiar. Then he grinned.

"Isn't that where Aaron Echolls lived?" Dean said. "Dude, tell me we get to hunt Aaron Echolls' ghost."

"No, I don't think it's… how do you know about Aaron Echolls?" Sam said.

"Come on, Sammy, 'The Long Haul'? We must have watched that a million times with Dad." Dean said reproachfully. "All of Aaron's movies, actually. Dad was a huge fan." Sam shrugged. He wouldn't argue, but sometimes he thought that he and Dean had actually lived different childhoods. The Dad he remembered had been more like a drill sergeant than the hero buddy Dean seemed to remember.

"Anyway, so you know about the Lily Kane murder?" Sam asked. Dean nodded, his grin fading. Aaron Echolls had been an all-around bad ass action star, but killing a teenage girl over some sex tapes was definitely _not_ bad ass. "how much do you know?" now Dean shrugged; he knew as much as anybody.

"Aaron killed Lily Kane because she had sex tapes of them. The Kane family thought Lily's brother Duncan did it, kid was a little crazy, and they covered it up. Aaron would have gotten away with it if it wasn't for Keith Mars and his daughter." Dean said.

"Veronica." Sam supplied the name. "She was Lily Kane's best friend. and the Kane murder was only the beginning."

"Of what?" Dean said, interested. Maybe the Kane girl was haunting this Veronica. A routine salt and burn would be just the thing to take the edge off.

"Well, a lot of weird shit." Sam said. "I mean, last year there was a bus crash that killed eight people. Only one survivor and she died a few months later. Veronica Mars and Logan Echolls-"

"Aaron's kid?" Dean asked.

"Yeah. They said a kid named Cassidy Casablancas claimed responsibility for the bus crash, just before he swan dived off the roof of the hotel where Logan lives." Sam paused. "and then earlier this year, there was a rapist on the Hearst campus, and then the dean of students was found dead in his office. Supposedly a suicide, but his wife's lover did it."

"So. It's a fucked up little town full of fucked up people. So?" Dean asked, bored. It was getting to soap opera-y, he just wanted to kill evil things.

"All of these things, and a bunch of other smaller stuff, is all tied to Veronica Mars. And now…" Sam paused again, thinking. "Keith Mars is in the hospital. With an illness no one has ever heard of. It's a medical mystery." Dean nodded. There was no such thing as a medical mystery, just things that regular people couldn't explain. "He ran for sheriff, won the election by a hair, and then two days later he got sick. No one knows why he isn't dead yet, but he keeps not dying and not getting better." Dean processed these facts, his mind already in hunter mode.

"So let's go talk to the girl." Dean said. Sam nodded.

"But we go there as ourselves. She's too smart. She won't trust us if we go in as feds or cops or whatever else. No disguises. No lies." Sam said. "She's been an amateur PI for years and just got licensed this year. And she's good at her job." Dean nodded. When Sam didn't speak again, he leaned over and turned the music back up. Sam subsided in the passenger seat, letting Dean have his moment of freedom. Revving the engine just to her hear roar, he pointed the car in the direction of their next hunt.

Veronica had finally let Mac talk her into coming home and having a shower. Her condition had been that she be allowed to be alone. Ever since Keith had gotten sick- a couple weeks now- no one had left her alone. Mac or Wallace were always with her, either at the hospital or here in her apartment. Because they were bored, they said. Nothing to do after exams. But she knew they were looking after her. Her friends were bad liars, or she knew them so well she could recognize when they weren't telling the truth. And she loved them for trying to take care of her; she didn't know how she'd have gotten through the last couple weeks without them. Even Logan was lurking around the hospital, full of angst and worry. She tried not to acknowledge him because that seemed too complicated. Piz had said he was going to Chicago for his internship. He'd be back in the fall and they could see where they were then. He hadn't broken up with her officially, but he was calling Wallace to get updates on Keith. Parker had stormed off back to Colorado, after a hysterical fight with Logan about Veronica. Two weeks ago, all of this had seemed vitally important, but now it was all just background noise to the questions that kept going around and around in her mind: Was Keith dying? The doctors said he was stable but critical. Did that mean he was going to die? What had happened to him? Was someone responsible for this? And if so, who? And how could she make that person pay?

Veronica shuffled from the bathroom to the kitchen. She opened the fridge and stared into it, not really seeing the contents. She was amazed at how lost she was without Keith. She'd known that she loved her dad, of course, and she'd known that he loved her. But she hadn't realized how vital he was to her, how his strength, the assurance of his love, and his unfailing belief in her, kept her going. What girl, at 19, really considers how important her only parent is to her? None, because he's just there and he just loves her and that's how it is. _Except it's not how it is now_, she thought. _And if I lose him…_ but she couldn't finish that thought, couldn't entertain that possibility.

Just as she was beginning to regret her solitude, there was a knock at the door. _Timely, as always,_ she thought cryptically, expecting it to be Logan. They were due for a showdown. She went to open the door, trying to organize the chaos of her thoughts into some semblance of order, tried to summon a witty and sarcastic comment to head him off. But it wasn't Logan, and the sight of the two guys standing there momentarily shut down her brain.

They were gorgeous. The tall one- really, really tall- made Veronica feel small. Delicate. She looked up and up and finally met his liquid brown eyes, warm with compassion and sympathy. She felt the sudden urge to let him hold her the way Logan used to, let him tell her it was okay. The other one- reasonably tall, not a giant- only looked serious. He didn't radiate that sense of safety and warmth. His face was serious, all business. She tried to guess what that business was, but they looked like… just guys. Unbelievably gorgeous guys, but just guys. Not wearing suits, no badges (and they didn't stand like cops anyway), no notebooks, nothing. And then she remembered Mac and Max's threat to send her strippers to cheer her up, and she blushed. The guys exchanged a quick look but didn't say anything.

"Look, I'm not really in the mood for a strip show, guys." She said. The shorter one grinned at her, a gleam of amusement in his eye.

"Sweetheart, I'm not in the mood for that right now either, but let's check back later, okay?" He said, in an interestingly suggestive tone. An annoyed look flickered over the tall one's face, and he nudged his partner. He wiped the grin of his face, but the gleam remained in his eye. "Look, we're here about… your dad." Veronica tensed, assessing them again. At first glance they looked like regular guys, sure, and their attractiveness was distracting, but now that she was looking at them again she saw that they stood as though they were ready for a fight. No, not a fight, she corrected herself, an attack. _From me or from someone else?_ She glanced beyond them but saw nothing unusual. The courtyard, the street, Neptune sunning it's self in the midday heat.

"We heard about your dad, and we thought we could help. We're… sort of specialists." Sam said, his voice low pitched.

"Not doctors." She said, glancing at their hands. Too rough to be doctors.

"No. We're kind of investigators." The shorter one said, earning another nudge. "Sort of. Not like you and your dad, but we might be able to help." She considered them for a moment. The shorter one was glancing around while hardly moving. The bigger one radiated warmth and trustworthiness, but she saw that his eyes were looking around, too. He caught her eyes and offered a half smile. The memory of Logan's voice echoed in her head, telling her that she didn't trust people and could never admit she needed help. Never? Watch me, Logan. She thought as she opened the door and invited the guys in.

"You're strangers sitting in my living room." She said as they sat down. "So tell me your names."

"I'm Sam," the tall one said, "And this is Dean." He indicated the other guy, who grinned at her again.

"and I guess you know that I'm Veronica." She said. Sam and Dean, Sam and Dean. She filed the names away for future reference. They hadn't given their last names, though. If she was being untrusting and unhelpable, that would have set off red flags in her head. But she was trying here; if they could help Keith, whatever slim chance there was, she wasn't going to ruin it by being suspicious.

"Yeah. I've read quite a bit about you." Sam said. She looked at him, expecting to see speculation or judgement, or… something other than compassion and understanding. "You've been through a lot. This must seem like… too much, on top of everything else." His soft tone invited confession or tears, his voice suggested that it would be okay to let go and break down in front of him, that he would understand. This guy is dangerous, Veronica thought. Because she could feel herself wanting to confess her fears to him, to confide in him, to let him tell her it was going to be okay. But because it had never been okay, because she didn't even know what okay would look like at this point, she fought the urge.

"Yes. I've been through a lot. This is... a lot." She answered with an effort. Dean, who had been scanning the rest of the visible apartment, glanced back at her. Usually girls fell all over themselves for Sam's puppy eyes and sincerity. People in general, actually, liked to tell Sam things they would never tell Dean. But this girl… this girl didn't. He reappraised her. Her blush when she'd first opened the door and mistaken them for strippers had made him write her off as a school girl with no experience of really bad shit. Here in California, in the constant sunshine with a beach just minutes away, young and pretty and smart as she was, what problems could she really have? So her best friend had died. Bad shit like that happened all the time. But as he looked at her again, he recognized an edge to her, a sharpness that was familiar because it was like his own. Maybe normal bad shit was as bad for normal people as monsters and demons were for him. He watched her and knew she was struggling with her feelings, trying to repress them, trying to get down to business. He admired her for it; he'd expected her to get all gushy over Sam and start falling apart over her Dad, but she was holding it together pretty well. Small though she was, he was in no doubt that she was mighty. He could see it in her eyes, the clench of her jaw as she got herself under control. He smiled at her, a genuine, comradely smile, encouraging her do what she needed to do. She smiled back slowly, but it was genuine too.

"So… tell me what happened to your dad." Sam's tone had changed; he'd caught the interplay between Veronica and Dean, and knew that this wasn't the time for his compassion. All business, that's what she wanted. She shrugged and dropped her eyes, collecting her thoughts.

"He just got sick. Just… sick." She said. "And it was finally okay. He got re-elected. A close race, Vinnie lost by just a few votes, but Dad was Sheriff and things were going to be okay." She said and closed her eyes for a moment. She took a deep breath, opened her eyes, and looked at Sam. "The doctors don't even know what … they've never seen anything like it before."

"Medical mystery?" Dean suggested, his face deadly serious. Sam shot him a quick look, and Dean's face fell into more normal lines. He tilted his head to one side in Sam's direction, apologizing, and then looked over at Veronica. She watched them, slightly puzzled. The way they communicated was unnerving. Almost like they could read each other's minds. Or that they knew each other so intimately, that they knew each other's every gesture and all the nuances of a head tilt. And the she wondered how intimately they knew each other. Because it would be a crying shame if Dean was already taken.

_Right, Veronica. Dad's on his death bed and your libido is going into overdrive._ She realized she'd been staring at Dean, and that she hadn't answered him, though she didn't think an answer was necessary.

"So. What are you investigating, exactly?" She asked, turning towards Sam.

"What happened to your dad. We might be able to help." He answered. "can I look around?" Usually he'd ask if he could use the bathroom or get a drink or something, but she'd see through that. She nodded.

"You investigate medical mysteries?" She asked Dean, her eyes following Sam. "The Mulder and Scully of medicine." Dean smiled.

"Something like that." He answered with a shrug. Sam was looking around the kitchen, looking for signs of supernatural activity. He was coming up blank. He glanced over at Dean and was disconcerted to see Veronica watching him.

"Can I ask you some weird questions?" Sam asked her. Dean sighed.

"Oh, here we go." He muttered. Veronica nodded at Sam.

"The day your dad got sick, or maybe before that, do you remember smelling sulphur? Or seeing black smoke?" not for the first time, these questions sounded crazy to Sam. She hesitated before answering.

"No. sulphur? What?" She finally said. Sam moved out of the kitchen, walking carefully through the hall.

"Did he act weird before he got sick? Like out of character, was he different?" She hesitated again, this time trying to decide what to say. _Yes. He ruined evidence for me and almost lost the election. That was sort of out of character._

"No." She answered. Dean heard the lie in her voice. He looked at Sam and raised an eyebrow. Sam's eyes went to Veronica, back to Dean, and then turned away to let Dean take over.

"Okay, what's with-" Veronica started, but Dean stood up and cut her off.

"This is important, Veronica. This could be life or death for your dad. You don't want to lose him, do you?" She didn't answer, couldn't meet his eyes. "Look, I lost my dad, and there are things- don't lie about this, if it gives us a chance to save him. Was he different?" His voice was quieter than Sam's had been, and even though there was a hint of sympathy in it, it also told her that Dean would not put up with lies. She sighed and told him about the evidence Jake Kane had had on her, security footage of her breaking into his mansion.

"You broke into a mansion?" Dean asked incredulously.

"Yes, but-"

"Dude, _you_ broke into a mansion?" He said, impressed. His eyes were suddenly filled with warmth and admiration, and a certain gleam that suggested he wouldn't mind having his mansion broken into by her. "How-"

"There was- it's complicated." Veronica answered, blushing again. She didn't want to have to explain about the sex tape she and Piz had unknowingly made that had led to her bringing down Hearst's secret society. "I had my reasons. Jake kind of hates my dad, because of…" She trailed off. And that was something else she didn't want to rehash, the grudge Jake Kane had against her and her dad. At first it had been about her mom, and Lily's murder, but now Jake felt like Veronica was personally responsible for him losing Duncan, too. Which she sort of was; after all, she'd helped Duncan evade the FBI and drop off the face of the planet with his and Meg's daughter. Some might say she had masterminded the whole thing. _But no one could actually prove it_, she reminded herself.

"It's an old grudge." Sam told Dean. He knew what it had been about in the months after Lily's murder- it was in the case study- and he knew there was more Veronica wasn't saying. But he wanted to spare her Dean's curiosity. Taking the hint, Dean moved the questioning into a different vein.

"Okay. Who else has a grudge against your dad?" Dean asked. She felt like she was being interrogated. She'd interrogated people and been interrogated herself, so she knew what it was like.

"Start with who doesn't." She said. "I mean, top of the list right now, Jake Kane, Hank, Vinnie Van Lowe, and the Fighting Fitzpatricks. And then everyone he's ever arrested. And then work your way up." She shrugged. "What? Being the good guy means you make enemies." Her eyes flashed at him, breifly amused.

"Ain't that the truth." Dean muttered. Sam moved slowly through the halls, along the base boards. Veronica briefly wondered why, but Dean was still interrogating her.

"How about you? Any enemies?"

"Same list, but add Tim, Parker and Piz, and Madison Sinclair. And possibly Dick Casablancas, if he isn't too drunk to function." Dean raised an eyebrow at her. "I'm a good guy too." A half smile turned up the corners of her mouth, and Dean moved closer to her. She tensed for a moment, and then relaxed. He wasn't threatening.

"Do you really break into places?" He asked, this time his voice quiet so Sammy wouldn't hear.

"Yeah. I have to sometimes. I can't always charm my way in." She answered, her voice also low pitched.

"Oh sweetheart, I don't believe that." Dean said, leaning close to her. She looked into his face and felt herself almost go weak. His eyes were suggesting that he'd like it if she tried to charm him, that he'd let her get in anywhere she wanted. She managed to take her eyes away from his, only to find herself staring at his smiling lips that suggested all kinds of pleasure and fun. She took a deep breath and tried to pull herself together, but she felt herself smiling at him, inviting him to say more, to go further, to come closer and back up his words with actions. Dean, always a man of action, began to lean down to kiss her.

"Dean." Sam called from the hallway, his voice urgent. Dean knew Sam had found something, but silently cursed all little brothers everywhere, especially the big sasquatch types who were always interrupting you at crucial moments.

"Yeah." Dean called back, annoyed. Dean and Veronica leaned away from each other, into a more normal posture, and their eyes met again, sheepishly this time. She offered him half a smile, he gave her half a shrug. _So that's that_, Veronica thought.

"Uh." Sam replied, ignoring Dean's tone. Dean crossed the room to the small hallway. Sam glanced at him, and then indicated the top of the doorframe to Dean. Silently, Dean reached up and ran his fingers over the top of the door. His fingers came away covered in dust. He raised an eyebrow at Sam, who tilted his head towards Dean's fingers. Dean's shoulder dropped into a slump and he shook his head.

"Great." He muttered.

"I'm pretty sure, Dean." Sam muttered back. Dean nodded. Of course Sam would be, he was a walking encyclopedia of weird and he knew his stuff.

"You going to ask her?" Dean said. Sam pulled a bitchface.

"You ask." He replied. Dean raised a fist, looking expectantly at Sam. Sam rolled his eyes, but raised his fist too. They had a quick game of rock paper scissors, with Sam winning over Dean's scissors with a rock. Sam flashed a grin at his brother. Dean sighed and turned around to go talk to Veronica in the living room again, but she was standing behind him and had apparently seen Sam and Dean's whole exchange.

"Ask me what?" She said, her arms crossed. She looked from one to the other, no hint of warmth or welcome in her eyes now. "Who _are_ you, and why does dust on a doorway matter? How is that going to help my dad?" Another look passed between the brothers. "And what is with the looking?" Dean stepped towards her, his hands up in show of nonviolence. Sam moved himself so he was directly behind Dean, trying to be unobtrusive as possible. If she tried to attack Dean, Sam was sure he could stop her, but he didn't want it to come to that.

"Okay, this is going to sound crazy, but… bear with me." Dean said, and began to explain.


	2. Chapter 2

_Oh shit. These guys are truly crazy. And they're standing between me and my phone_. Veronica thought as Dean stopped talking. Her cellphone was in her room. She had five people on speed dial who could help her out of this situation- Deputy Leo, with his hand cuffs and official authority would be best, Weevil with his less official but more persuasive methods would be a close second- but for all the good it did her, she might as well be alone in the desert with religious fanatics.

"Okay." She said carefully, managing a strained grin and backing up a step or two. "You guys have seen one too many horror movies." _Oh sure, Veronica. Poke the crazy, because that will help._ "My dad is sick, not… possessed."

"We don't think he's possessed." Dean said defensively. "Demons don't-" She kept backing away from them, a little at a time.

"I didn't tell you that I'm being watched." She said, thinking fast. "Deputy Leo checks on me all the time." Sam stepped around Dean and slowly advanced to Veronica.

"Veronica, listen." He said, his voice low and soothing. "I know it's sort of crazy- I would think it's crazy too- but… didn't you used to see Lily after she died? Didn't you say you felt like she was helping you find out what happened to her?" an expression of pain passed over Veronica's face at the mention of Lily, and then her eyes flashed angrily at Sam. She'd said that stupid crap for Keith's book, to make it more interesting. She didn't believe it, did she? She glared up at him.

"You- Lily- That was just in my head!" She said, her voice shrill. "It was- Lily wasn't-" She stopped, still glaring at Sam. Dean pressed his lips together and stared at the back of Sam's head for a moment. Sam could feel him thinking _good job, Sammy, way to calm her down_ at him. Sam glanced at Dean, who stepped towards Veronica.

"Sam's not saying she was haunting you. But you and Lily, you had a connection. You thought she was helping you." Dean said. "Whatever gets you through the night, right? I know you think we're crazy, and we'll leave you alone if you think that's best. But if even a small part of you thinks that it really was Lily helping you find her killer, let us help. Because we think something bad, our kind of bad, happened to your dad." Dean caught her eyes and held them. There was simple truth there; he believed what he was saying one hundred percent. But didn't crazy people always believe their own crazy rants? She looked to Sam, who nodded slightly at her, to reassure her that they wouldn't move until she said it was okay.

She turned Dean's words over in her mind. Did she think Lily had really helped her? At the time, she'd thought… everything. That it was Lily's ghost or spirit or echo or whatever that she was seeing. After Aaron Echolls was in prison, if she thought about it at all, she just thought it was her overwrought emotional state. She still missed Lily, she'd miss Lily forever, but that first year after Lily's death had been unbearable. Keith getting voted out of office, Lianne leaving them, all her so-called friends turning on her, suddenly becoming the pariah of Neptune High, all of that had put her in an emotional state she had struggled to cope with. Was it any wonder that she'd thought she saw Lily? Or talked to her in dreams sometimes? It was a coping mechanism.

And then she remembered the day of the bus crash. That store on the PCH. She'd been going to get back on the bus when she thought she heard Lily whispering to her and laughing, thought she saw Lily run around a corner. She'd followed the image, and ended up not being on the bus that crashed minutes later. The fallout that had followed the bus crash hadn't left her with time to consider what had happened that day, and life had kept moving forward, one crisis or event after another, so she'd never really considered it. But she was now. Looking from Dean's green eyes to Sam's brown ones, without her knowing, her hand went to the small chain and charm necklace that Lily had given her back when life still made some sort of sense. Sam's eyes followed her hand and she realized what he was looking at.

"Lily gave me this." She said, her voice thick with emotion. He nodded.

"Sometimes when you lose someone, they stay with you." Sam said. "Not to hurt you. Just to remind you. And when it's time for them to go, they go." He paused. "I lost someone once, and I used to see her sometimes. Her name was Jess. But she's gone now." Veronica nodded, but Dean turned to look at Sam for a long moment. He'd never told him about seeing Jess. Maybe it was some of that freaky psychic stuff. Sam avoided looking at Dean, didn't want to deal with that right now.

"So, what are we doing, Veronica? Are we leaving?" Dean asked finally. Veronica slowly let go of Lily's necklace.

"Stay." She said, and paused. "Help me." Her eyes met Dean's as she said it, and he understood completely how much it cost her to say those two small words. He didn't smile, but his eyes softened and she took a deep breath, composing herself. She closed her eyes, forcing herself to relax, to think like she was working.

"Okay. You found powder, which means… what?" She said. Sam and Dean also relaxed a little. Sam tilted his head a little, thinking.

"It's not sulphur. That's good, it means it's not demons." He said. She tried to process that. _Demons_. "This stuff, I think it's herbal, which means witches." Dean let out a low groan now that Sam had said it out loud. He hated witches.

"Awesome." Dean muttered. Sam, annoyed, pushed Dean's shoulder. Dean pushed right back. His little brother wasn't going to push him around. Sam shoved him a little harder and Dean turned to him. "Dude." He said, in a warning tone. Sam was wearing his bitchface again, Veronica forgotten for a moment.

"It's not my fault it's witches, Dean." Sam said in a tone of aggravation.

"Can you save the lover's spat until my dad is better?" Veronica said. Dean looked crestfallen, and Sam laughed in his face.

"We're not-" Dean protested, but Sam talked over him.

"Witches use powders in hexes and spells. Maybe your dad was hexed." Sam said, returning to Veronica. "I can't tell what it all is, but there's definitely hemlock. I can smell it." Dean looked thoughtfully at his fingers. Hemlock was used to kill. Veronica had said her dad was stable but critical. Critical made sense, but stable didn't. And it was taking too long; a hex should be quick, not dragged out like this. He looked at Sam and could almost hear the thought process. Keith should be dead by now, but wasn't. And a proper hex was usually executed with a hex bag, a lot of ingredients mixed together to make a powerful spell. This wasn't adding up. They thought of Bobby at the same time; he'd know what they were missing.

"Look, we need to think about this some more." Dean said to Veronica. "Something's not right."

"More not right than demons and monsters and witches?" She asked, smiling a little. It was weird hearing herself take it so seriously.

"Yeah. Is there a motel in town where we can, you know, hole up for a few hours? We have to check some things out. We'll get back to you, I promise." Dean said, ignoring Sam's sharp look at the word "promise". It was a touchy word between them right now.

"There's the Camelot." Veronica said. "But it's… it's not the kind of place you want to stay. It's cheap and-" Dean's eyes lit up at the mention of a cheap motel.

"Do they have Magic Fingers?"

A couple hours later, Sam was frustrated with researching. He'd found spells that used hemlock, and they all killed. Bobby had told him that hemlock was used in killing spells. It was bad mojo. So why wasn't Keith dead? And why wasn't the hemlock in a hex bag with a bunch of other stuff? And what kind of witch dusted powder in their enemy's home? Most witches he'd encountered used symbols or hex bags, not naked powder. He looked up from his laptop as Dean came into the motel room, carrying paper bags of food. He shot Sam an aggrieved look.

"California blows. There's no food here." He complained. "I went to get a burger, they asked me if I wanted it wrapped in _lettuce._ And it's too sunny here. It's not natural, Sammy." Dean said, sprawling on the bed. There was only one bed in the room, and apparently Dean had claimed it. "No wonder you eat all that rabbit food, four years in California ruined you."

"People like to eat healthy here." Sam said absently. He was watching Dean eat a burger, and wondering how many more burgers Dean would get to eat. A year's worth seemed like a lot, but also like not enough. And that was all Dean would get. A year's worth of everything, and that was all. And then what? An eternity in hell. Sam had been trying not to think about what that might mean, but he was tired and couldn't keep the rush of speculation at bay anymore. And the worst thing was that he knew that whatever horror his mind could come up with, whatever tortures he could imagine, hell would be a million times worse. He was angry at Dean for doing this to both of them. How was he supposed to live knowing Dean was being ripped apart in hell while he went about business as usual? And where would he find the heart to go on? Losing John had been bad enough, but at least he'd still had Dean. He had a lifetime of memories of an absent John, but he also had a lifetime of memories of Dean being there. Dean teaching him stuff, like how to drive and how to talk to girls. Dean telling him not to be afraid. Dean annoying him, picking on him, but always loving him. It was Dean's praise that had mattered to him, and the night he'd left for Stanford his heart had broken at leaving his brother. He'd made his own life, but he'd known Dean was out there in the world. Killing things, keeping the world safe for everybody the way he'd always kept it safe for Sam. There was comfort in that. He could live his life away from Dean, knowing Dean was out there in the night being Dean. There would be no comfort in knowing that Dean was in hell, especially since he was going to hell because of Sam.

"Sammy." Dean said, reaching for the second bag of food. He saw Sam watching him, the speculation in his eyes, and the mask of a cocky grin fell over Dean's face. "You gonna stare at me all day or are you gonna eat?"

"Dean-" Sam started, but Dean cut him off.

"Eat, Sammy." Dean ordered him. Sam let it go. But we're going to have to talk about it sometime, Sam thought. You can't just go to hell without a word about it to me. I won't let you. They finished eating in silence. Dean didn't want to talk to Sam when he was all moody and emotional. What was wrong with the kid, anyway? He was being unreasonable. So what if he was going to hell? It was his soul and he could do whatever he liked with it. And what he liked was Sam alive. He could face an eternity of hellfire if he knew Sammy was okay.

A knock at the door interrupted their silence. Dean nodded to Sam, who cautiously opened the door. Veronica was on the other side. She slipped in the door past Sam. The atmosphere was thick with unsaid things. She looked from one to the other but decided not to ask. She had her own problems without getting tangled up in theirs.

"so…" She said, feeling awkward. Dean let a slow, suggestive grin spread over his face as her eyes met his. There was enough space on the bed for her to crawl in next to him. She almost smiled back at him, but focused on Sam instead. _Focus, Veronica. Work first, play later_. "How's the researching?"

"Frustrating." Sam answered, his eyes shooting to Dean. Dean met his look with a cocky grin. Sam sighed. Veronica rolled her eyes.

"Shut up." Dean murmured in Sam's direction. "Bitch."

"Jerk." Sam answered, the word coming automatically. The tension in the room eased after the familiar exchange. Sam even half smiled at Dean. Dean tilted his head forward, not quite smiling but almost there, and that was the end of it. Veronica was still amazed at how they silently communicated like that. It was… uncanny.

"So I checked out which stores sell hemlock around here." She said, diving right into the case. "There's a couple new-agey ones that do. So I cross referenced the purchase lists-"

"You can do that?" Sam asked.

"Yeah. It's part of being an investigator." She said. Sam nodded, impressed. "I cross referenced purchase lists with people I know hate my dad or me, and came up with two names: Vinnie van Lowe and Madison Sinclair." She paused. Sam and Dean exchanged a look, and Dean asked her which one she thought it was. A bitter smile pulled up the corners of her mouth. "If there's a witch in Neptune, Madison would be it." She said with an irony the brothers didn't understand. Dean shrugged.

"All right. Should we go check her out?" Dean said, itching to get out of the motel room. There were suddenly too many feelings in here, Sammy's and Veronica's. He grinned at Veronica. "We can take my car. You can meet my Baby." The note of pride in his voice surprised her, she hadn't pegged him as the sports-car driving kind. In her experience, sports car drivers drove shiny cars with stupid names like Baby and Princess, and were seriously over compensating for some enormous short comings.

"It'll be faster if we take one car." Sam told her. Dean jumped off the bed and grabbed his keys, leading the way out. He didn't look back to see if Sam was following him, he knew Sam would be only a few steps behind him. They were on the hunt, he knew Sammy had his back. Veronica followed too, and wondered if she and Keith were like that sometimes when they worked together: so completely sure of each other that they didn't need to check where the other was.

"look, he's a little weird about the car." Sam murmured to her as they entered the parking lot. "I'm sorry about him, okay?" She nodded, thinking she understood._ A guy in love with a shiny metaphor for his penis, how original._ But when she saw Dean leaning against the Impala and watching her, her pulse slowed down, and then started racing. It definitely wasn't one of Neptune's gaudy mid-life crisis cars. It was a beautiful machine, well maintained with gorgeous lines. Classic American muscle. _Of course this is what he drives_, she thought, because a guy like Dean didn't belong in a modern sports car. A bright yellow Hummer wasn't his style either. This gorgeous gleaming machine had Dean written all over it. When she got close enough, she ran her fingers lightly over the hood and down the side until she reached where Dean was standing. He watched her hand caress his car and then slowly met her eyes. Hers were full of lust for him, for the car, for the open road. He grinned at her and she smiled back. Sam watched them, and knew he would be sleeping alone that night.

"this is your Baby?" She asked Dean.

"This is my Baby."

"She's gorgeous."

"She sure is." He didn't take his eyes off her. For a moment she was lost in their green intensity, and she knew without a doubt that she get in this car and drive away with him, no regrets. Without knowing anything about him, she could leave Neptune with him and never look back. If he asked her now, if the promises he was making with his eyes and his smile were fulfilled, she could be his forever.

_His forever? Come on, Veronica, what are you, a doe-eyed school girl?_ Her inner voice jeered at her. _You don't even know him._ She tore her eyes away from him, realized she was still touching the car, and took her hand away too. For a moment she looked like an awkward, uncertain girl. Dean felt something rising in his chest, a desire to hold her and make it okay for her. A moment ago he'd wanted something very different, he'd wanted to feel his lips on hers and her small body close to his, bury his hands in her hair and let her hands slid over his chest and downwards- the same kind of lust he felt for all pretty girls everywhere- but this new feeling was something else. I could care about her, he thought, and the idea was strange to him. A girl, a stranger, not even a hunter, could be vital to him. He shook his head at the impossible thought.

Sam saw the moment had passed and they were both retreating. The familiar cocky Dean grin was affixing itself to his brother's face, and Veronica's face was becoming unreadable. Idiots, he thought as he leaned against the passenger side door.

"I told you he was weird about the car." Sam said. Veronica turned her head towards Sam so she wouldn't have to look at Dean. She managed a smile, and Sam wondered if Dean would recognize his own sarcastic smile on her face.

"I don't know, Sam, it's a nice car." She said in a small voice. "Maybe you could take me for a ride some time. After we help my dad." She was refocusing, putting Dean aside. Dean gave a nod, understanding. What she wanted wasn't as important as her obligations; he knew what_ that_ was about. But he wouldn't let her get away so easily. He reached out and put his hand on her cheek. She froze, and then slowly turned to look at him again. Their eyes met again in a passionate gaze. This time, though, he leaned down to kiss her, his lips gently brushing hers. His eyes caught hers again, and then he let her go. She stepped away from him and turned her head towards the car, needing a moment. His smile spread over his face again, but didn't reach his eyes.

"So, you want to hunt down this Madison witch, or what?" She nodded, her smile as bitter as his.

Dean was impressed with how good Veronica was on a stake out. She sat in the back seat, not really saying anything, not fidgeting, just waiting. Sam refused to talk, but Dean could feel the feelings coming off him in waves. Sam was upset, but it couldn't be because Dean wasn't hooking up with Veronica. That was crazy. Sam usually wanted him to be more restrained when it came to women. So here he was, being restrained, and the little shit had the nerve to be annoyed. Fuck little brothers, Dean thought sourly. They'd been sitting outside this mansion for hours, barely talking. The silence wasn't the usual comfortable Winchester stakeout silence. Sam with his feelings and Veronica with her preoccupied thoughts were making it hard. Dean didn't even want to turn on the music, Sammy the sadsack was sucking the joy right out of him. He didn't want to think about how Veronica was affecting his mood.

Veronica's phone buzzed for the millionth time. Dean turned his head to Veronica, annoyed.

"Answer it." He said. "Just make it stop." He turned back and caught one of Sammy's disapproving looks. What the hell is wrong with him? he wondered angrily. He reached down for his coffee, and of course it had gone cold. Veronica's phone buzzed again and this time she picked it up.

"What?" she said, her voice hard. She listened. Sam and Dean could hear a distant tinny voice, and it sounded urgent. "no, I'm fine. Logan-" She paused as she listened to him talk. "Stop it." She said. "What?" She took the phone away from her head. "We have to move. Someone reported us to the cops." She said to Sam and Dean. Sam and Dean exchanged a look.

"Yes, I'm staking out Madison Sinclair's mansion in a black car, why?" She listened again. "Don't you-" She started and suddenly there was a knock on the passenger side window. She hung up the phone and murmured "I'm sorry, guys…" as Sam rolled down the window.

"Neighbourhood watch." Logan Echolls said in a falsely cheerful voice. "Why are you watching my neighborhood?" He grinned and looked at Sam and Dean in the front, Veronica in the back. He ignored her angry expression, assessing these two assholes she was with. The driver seemed dangerous, the passenger less so, but they didn't seem to be holding Veronica against her will. His eyes went back to Veronica. "Better yet, Ronnie, why are you harassing Madison Sinclair?" Sam could hear her heavy, enraged breathing just behind him.

"Why do you care so much about Madison Sinclair?" She retorted, her tone full of accusation. Sam looked at Dean; they'd faced monsters and demons and all sorts of bad shit, but they silently agreed that they didn't want to be in the middle of this… whatever this was. Teenage angst drama, with a long and storied history.

"Jesus Christ, Veronica, how many times do I have to tell you-"

"How did you know I was here?" She overrode him, not wanting to hear for the millionth time how much she meant to him, especially not in front of Dean.

"You know you can't drive a strange car in this neighborhood." Logan said impatiently. "Nobody recognizes this car. Deputy Leo caught the call, and then he called me to ask if you were staking out the Sinclair's. You don't need to be in more trouble in the 09er zip."_ I'm going to kill Leo,_ she thought furiously. "So why are you here?" Veronica couldn't think of anything to say. Logan sighed, getting ready to start in on her again.

"Yeah, that's about enough of that." Dean muttered, opening the car door and getting out. "Don't touch my car." He said to Logan, his tone dangerous. Whatever was between him and Veronica, that was their concern, but touching Dean's car would get a man killed. Logan stood up and looked at Dean across the hood of the car. Dean was tougher and his attitude was bigger even than Logan's, but Logan wasn't easily intimidated. He continued to stare at Dean, challenging him to make a move. Unimpressed, Dean stared right back. Inside the car, Sam turned to Veronica.

"Dean won't back down." He said, almost whispering.

"Neither will Logan." Veronica answered, and then they were both moving at the same time. Sam slid across the front seat to the driver's side, Veronica opened the passenger side door. They looked at each other before they got out of the car, desperate to stop the fight before it began, and slightly bemused. Sam pushed the driver's side door open, making Dean move, and breaking his eye contact with Logan. Veronica emerged from the back seat like a small blond fury.

"Logan." She said, her tone angry and urgent. He turned to her, avoiding her eyes. He looked at her hair, her hands, her shoulders, but not her face. She was trying to stay angry at him, trying to find the rage she'd had a minute ago, but this was the first time she'd been near him since that day the look that passed between them had ended things for her and Piz. She saw how tired and worried he'd really been, and imagined him pacing his suite at the Neptune grand, worrying about Keith. Worrying about her. The old familiar conflicting feelings about Logan rose up in her, and she didn't have the strength to fight them off.

"I- I worried about you." He said, his voice low. She nodded, closing her eyes.

"I know."

"And Mac said you weren't answering your phone, and then Leo called me…" He paused and met her eyes. "I thought you might be doing something… stupid." He said. He didn't let his eyes flicker to Dean, but she knew him so well that he didn't need to. She nodded again, acknowledging his concern but dismissing his accusation. He had no right, after what happened in Aspen with Madison. "What are you doing here?"

"I think Madison has something to do with my dad being sick." She said, unwilling to tell him the whole crazy theory about witchcraft. Logan frowned.

"How? She's not even home this summer." Logan said. Sam and Dean looked at each other. Sam lifted a shoulder in half a shrug, and Dean nodded, closing his eyes. They'd wasted hours staking out the wrong place.

"She's not?" Veronica's tone was getting dangerous again. _How do you know that, Logan? Been seeing your little fuck buddy again?_

"No." Logan said, refusing to fight with her. Veronica sighed. Logan's eyes met hers again, but she turned from him to Dean and Sam.

"Plan B?" Dean said.

"Plan B." She confirmed. She'd really wanted to see Madison Sinclair taken down. Life just wasn't fair.

"Get in." Dean said to her, and now his eyes flickered to Logan. She shook her head slightly. Logan caught the gesture and tensed.

"Veronica, no." He said, firm now that he thought she was putting herself in danger again. His face had a familiar expression, exasperation at her stubbornness. "I'm going with you or you're not going." He grabbed her arm. She looked down at his hand and slowly up at him. He didn't let go, pulled her a little closer, his eyes on hers. On the other side of the car, Dean tensed, assessing his chances of going over Baby without scratching the paint. The chances were slim to none, but that was a risk he'd have to take; he didn't like the way this Logan kid was putting his hands on Veronica. Like he owned her.

"Let me go." She said quietly. Her eyes held his and he dropped his hand from her arm.

"Why are you always running into danger?" He asked her, his voice barely above a whisper. "Why does it always have to be you?" There was more to that question, more being said than she wanted to deal with. She shrugged.

"Because it has to be." She answered. That would have to suffice. Logan, knowing her and loving her better than anyone, understood. His eyes went to Dean, but he didn't say anything. He reached out, but this time only brushed her hair back from her face. She leaned into his hand briefly and he caressed her cheek. He took his hand away, and she turned to get back in the car. Sam and Dean got in too. They drove away from Logan, and she didn't look back.


	3. Chapter 3

They'd gone back to the Camelot. Veronica was trying to pin down where Vinnie might be, hunched over her laptop in almost the exact same way Sam usually did. Sam smiled and sipped a beer. They had plenty in a cooler in the Impala, but Dean had insisted on going out to get more. Sam had let him go, knowing he just needed some time alone for a few minutes. He leaned against a wall, watching Veronica's serious face. When she finally looked up at him and smiled, he offered her a beer. She hesitated, but took it.

"My dad would kill me." She said ruefully. "If he doesn't die." She'd said the words out loud, had given shape to her worst fear, but she found that she could face it now. The calming presence of Sam, his quiet understanding, the sense of closure from Logan, and Dean's absence gave her the space she needed to say it. Sam waited for her to say something else, and when she didn't, took another sip of beer.

"So." Sam said, trying to sound casual. "You and Logan. That's kind of… complicated, huh?" She glanced up at him.

"Can you sit down? You're… you're looming over me." She stalled. Sam sat in the chair opposite hers, beer still in hand. She sighed. "Complicated is kind of the only way me and Logan know how to be." That was all she was going to say about that. She sipped her beer thoughtfully. "Dean doesn't seem so complicated." Sam gave a bitter half laugh.

"Yeah. He's pretty simple." He replied. She raised an eyebrow at him. "Dean is pretty uncomplicated, but he makes things complex." Sam tried to explain. Now he sighed, thinking about his brother. "Like… he's dying right now. A year, that's all he has, and he thinks it's simple: he's just going to die, and I'll have to let him go. Because there's nothing else we can do. But it's not that easy. He's dying for me, Veronica. He wouldn't be in this position if it wasn't for me, and he thinks it's simple. But I can't let him die for me. I can't let him… do this."

"But if he's sick, it's not like he has choice." She said, puzzled. "He's not doing this to you on purpose." He laughed again, the sound bitter and full of grief.

"But he is. You don't understand." He said. After a pause, he tried to explain about the cross roads deal. He talked until he saw the look on her face, horror and disbelief.

"He sold his soul for you? He must really love you." She said thoughtfully. Sam stared at her. She'd missed the point entirely.

"But it's an eternity in hell, Veronica. Torture. Demons. Al l the worst stuff you can imagine." He said. "And probably a lot you can't." She nodded, but her mind was racing. Sam had an inkling what she was thinking, and his face got more serious and earnest.

"It's not worth it. He would have been okay eventually." Sam said, his voice deadly quiet. "Hunters die all the time and we deal with it. But… someone going to hell for you, literally, how do you live that?" She didn't say anything but took a thoughtful sip of beer.

"Maybe he thinks you can handle it."

"No. He knows what it's like." He said, thinking about John. John who had traded his life for Dean's, had let Azaziel take him in exchange for Dean. If anyone knew what it felt like to have someone you loved sell their soul for you- the guilt, the desperation, and the aching, heartbreaking loneliness- it was Dean. "He's selfish and stupid and-"

The door to the motel room opened. Sam stopped talking as Dean came in, carrying a case of beer. He glanced at the two at the table, then cracked a beer for himself and sank onto the bed, ignoring the thick emotions in the room.

"So? Where are we?" He asked, his tone telling them that only business was open for discussion. Veronica glanced from Sam to Dean. She lifted one shoulder in half a shrug. Sam couldn't look at his brother as he tried to compose himself, feeling guilty for saying those things out loud.

"I ran Vinnie's credit cards, he has a lot of strange purchases. Can you guys make sense of this?" She turned the computer screen towards them. Sam scanned the list of items, which turned out to be a lot of heavy duty black magic items. Dean read the list too, frowning.

"That's a lot of bad mojo." He said. "but he's missing some things. Crucial things." He said. Sam nodded in agreement; this was an incomplete list. Unless he'd acquired things in other ways, what Vinnie van Lowe had amounted to a half loaded magical gun, with no safety catch.

"Well, this explains why Keith isn't dead yet." Sam said, his mind going over the facts. "Vinnie doesn't have a full arsenal, he might not really know what he's doing."

"That's Vinnie all over." Veronica said. "Half-assed." Dean nodded, drinking his beer.

"So where can we find this douche and stop him before he does something really dangerous?" Dean asked Veronica.

"He's out of town on a case tonight, he should be back tomorrow." Veronica said, frustrated. They were so close, and hours seemed precious when Keith was in the state he was in. "Do you think my dad… do you think he'll recover if we can get Vinnie to reverse the spell?" The corners of Dean's mouth twitched.

"Yeah. It'll be a miracle, a medical mystery." She smiled back at him, relieved. Once again Dean's eyes glowed at her and she responded with a glow of her own, and Sam thought he should maybe clear out and give them some space. It wouldn't be the first time he'd slept in the Impala while Dean was otherwise occupied. But Veronica turned the computer back to her and began to do more research. She sipped her beer as she read and Dean's mind clicked into hunter mode.

"If he's buying them on the internet," Dean finally said, "how can they be authentic?" Sam considered the question.

"Maybe they're not, and that's why his spell isn't working properly." He swigged his beer. "Besides not having all the right ingredients."

"What kind of witchy asshole just goes off half-cocked like that?" Dean said, as though Vinnie's inept witchery was a personal affront. "It's like playing with a loaded gun, except some of the loads are blanks and some are live bullets. He could've done some serious damage." Veronica's eyes flickered up at him. "More serious damage, I mean. That's what's wrong with all this technology, man, it gives people just enough knowledge to make them stupid."

"No more beer, Dean, you're getting philosophical." Sam teased. Dean made a face at Sam and cracked open another beer, just as a personal "fuck you" to his brother. He began reminiscing about other times they'd hunted witches. Sam chuckled here and there and added details or asked questions about hunts he hadn't been on. Veronica only half listened; Logan's words were echoing in her head. _Why does it always have to be me?_ She thought, but that was stupid. She was Veronica Mars, it had to be her. What was more troubling were the things Logan hadn't said. Why was it always her, and never him? Why did she always choose to run away from him? And why was she, suspicious and cynical and distrustful, trusting these guys she didn't even know, but refused to trust Logan? _Because I know I can't trust him_, she thought. _But how do you know you can trust these guys?_ Logan's voice taunted her.

She looked over her laptop at Sam and Dean. Sam was smiling at his brother, relaxed and content, listening to Dean retell old hunts. Looking at Sam, she couldn't miss the expression on his face. For all his bitter words earlier, he loved Dean and worshipped him in the way only a little brother could. Glancing at Dean, she saw the same thing on his face: love for his brother. He was relaxing with Sam's attention on him, becoming his adoring brother's hero again, loving the kid who wanted to be just like him. How can you not trust that? She thought, her eyes lingering on Dean. She knew she was seeing a Dean that usually only Sam got to see.

But she couldn't let it go. While they were distracted with each other, she could do what she should have done in the first place. As quietly as she could she typed the names "Sam and Dean" into her search engine. It was all she had to go on, but maybe it would turn up something more useful…. There were pages of results. She clicked a link, read it. Horrified, she peered back over her computer at them. And because she couldn't help herself, because suspicious and distrustful was who she was at the core of her being, she kept reading. After a while she stopped and looked at them. She slowly closed her computer, speechless. But her silence was becoming deafening, and Dean trailed off his story. Immediate concern for her flooded his face. Sam turned to look at her, also warmly concerned.

"What?" He said gently, the trace of a smile still at the corners of his mouth. She trembled, so angry she could barely contain it. He started to get up to go to her, but she turned her head to him, her eyes blazing.

"So you save people, huh?' She said. "You hunt things and help people?" Her voice was like a whip, lashing over Sam and Dean. They exchanged a look, confused at the sudden attack. Neither said a word, and she laughed into the silence, the brittle sound bouncing off the walls.

"You saved those people in that bank in Milwaukee?" She demanded. "Or in St. Louis? Those people died because you were saving them?" she said, her eyes cutting to Dean. Dean was angry, his face went stony. "Because the FBI says different." Dean stood up, not exactly threatening her, but he wasn't going to take her shit either.

"It's what we do." Dean said. "In Milwaukee and St. Louis, those were shape shifters."

"Shape shifters?" Veronica gave a mocking laugh. "Was it shape shifters who broke out of that prison in Green River?" She was stupid for believing in these guys. They were criminals. And psychotic. Why had she let herself believe in them? Why had she trusted them against her better judgement? Logan was right, she always ran straight into danger.

"Veronica, we're hunters. There is always going to be a body count. We try to keep it down, we save as many people as we can." Sam tried to explain. This time she only let out a small derisive sound.

"You certainly have a body count, don't you?" She said. "Jess, Madison, who knows who else." Sam recoiled from her as if she'd slapped him. The color drained from his face; he could still feel the weight of the gun in his hand, still hear the last breath Madison had taken, looking up at him, trusting him to do the right thing. and Jess… sometimes he still woke up in a cold sweat, still saw her dying in flames, knowing it was his fault, she was dying because of him…

Dean's eyes had gone to Sam at the mention of Jess. He saw his little brother suffer under the weight of his guilt for things that were out of his control, saw the pain flash in his eyes at the memories. Dean moved towards Sam and Veronica. He knew Veronica was hurting, that she had trust issues bigger than his, but no one got to hurt Sam like that.

"You don't know what you're talking about." He said, his tone warning her to stop. She faced him down, refusing to be intimidated.

"You're a liar." She said to him. His face didn't change, but his eyes became colder. Sam had recovered enough to slowly stand up. Taller than Dean, he was more imposing. Her gaze shifted to him, and felt a momentary regret. His face was angry, but his eyes were full of a pain she would never understand. He moved towards Dean as though his body knew the Dean was the only safe port. Dean's agonized gaze flickered from his brother to Veronica.

"Because you've never lied, right, Veronica?" Sam said, his voice deadly quiet. "The FBI doesn't have your name in a file somewhere? No one you ever loved died a terrible death? You never had tough choices to make?" A memory of prom night flashed in her head. The roof of the Neptune Grand. Cassidy Casablancas. Logan trying to find the right words, trying to decide what was most important in that moment. And herself, trying to decide if she wanted Cassidy to jump and end his miserable life, or for Logan to find the words that would stop him, help him, save him. She closed her eyes at the memory.

"We're in this now." Sam continued. "Trust us or don't trust us, something is going our kind of wrong here and we have to fix it. That's what we do." He said. She opened her eyes to look at him again, back on the attack.

"Don't you go near my dad!" She yelled at him. "You kill everything you touch. Even Dean!" Sam's face went cold, his eyes steely. Dean was moving before she stopped talking. He grabbed her and kept going, dragging her out of the motel room. He slammed the door behind him, leaving Sam alone with his anger. The look in Sam's eyes had been too close to the look he'd had in that grave yard, when he'd wiped that Jake bastard's blood from his face. After shooting him in cold blood. Dean pushed the memories away, shoved them back into whatever little compartment he was trying to contain them in.

He didn't let go of Veronica. She was protesting, but he didn't think letting her go was a good idea. She was too volatile; he didn't know what she'd do next. He didn't want to have to hurt her, and the best way to prevent that seemed to be holding on to her so she didn't attack. He took her to the car, opened the driver's side, and pushed her in. He slid in after her. She shrank away from him, afraid now that her anger had subsided a little. He put his hands on the steering wheel. The familiar feel of it under his hands, the potential freedom of the car, calmed him. He took a deep breath.

"Where am I taking you?" He asked without looking at her. "Anywhere you want to go, as long as it's away from Sam." She stared at him, trying to assess his mood. He was angry, but not at her specifically. Or at least not personally. She'd been a horrible bitch and she knew it, but she thought that he somehow understood that. But someone had hurt his little brother, and that made him angry. Because the someone happened to be her, he was trying to get a lid on his anger. But he wouldn't look at her. She couldn't think of where to go. Wallace would take her in, as always, and not ask questions, but if she went there now, she'd wake up his little brother and his mom would not appreciate that. Mac was on duty at the hospital, keeping watch just in case there was a change in Keith. She couldn't bear facing Logan right now. She went through a list of other people and rejected them all. Dean kept staring out the windshield, but she could see that just sitting here in the car was soothing him.

"Drive." She said quietly. "just drive." He nodded and started the car. It purred into life and Dean headed for the Pacific coast Highway.

After a while, Dean pulled over on a cliff overlooking the ocean. It was the middle of the night and there was no traffic; just Dean, Veronica, and the night. Below them, the moody ocean moved restlessly, the rhythmic sound soothing to Veronica. Dean cut the engine and finally looked at her.

"Okay, Veronica." He said. "Go ahead." He said, his voice neutral and his face unreadable.

"What?" She said quietly.

"Get angry. Get ugly. Say all the horrible things you want to." He replied. There was no reproach in his voice. "Get it out of the way. I lied to you. I'm not who you want me to be. Get mad, Veronica." Caught off guard, Veronica was speechless. "I get it. You're angry. So be angry, Veronica." He said. There was no compassion in his voice, either. She opened her mouth the say something, to fling an angry retort that would put him in the wrong, but she couldn't think of anything to say. He watched her in a detached way, waiting for her to do something. "You were unstoppable in the motel room, now you got nothing?" She could feel emotion rising in her chest at his slight taunt. She opened her mouth to speak again, sure she could hurt him, sure that her next words would protect her from him.

What came out was a sob. Before she realized it, she was crying, almost hysterical with grief. The fear and the worry of the last few weeks, the finality of leaving Logan on the street today, all rose up and assailed her. Had anyone else been sitting silently in the driver's seat, she could never have let go like this. But Dean saw through her. And he wouldn't expect anything from her. So she cried like she hadn't cried in years. Not since Lily died and her world fell apart. Dean just let her cry. He didn't say anything, didn't try to touch her. He'd readjust his grip on the wheel or shift in his seat, but he just let her be.

After the storm of her grief was over, she was suddenly shy of him. She wiped her face as best as she could on her sleeve, but avoided looking at him. But she wasn't the shy type. So with her heart pounding, she forced herself to look at him. He was looking at her, and there was naked emotion in his eyes. Compassion and worry, but also grief for her and for himself. Because she was losing her father, her whole world was coming to pieces, and he knew what that was like. And she was tough, had to be, and he knew what that was like, too. He reached out for her, and she moved towards him. She put her head on his shoulder and his arm went around her. There was no expectation in the gesture, only comfort. Tears rose in her eyes again, falling silently against Dean's shoulder. He tightened his arm around, drawing her closer, and he lifted his other hand to gently stroke her hair. After a few moments, she closed her eyes. He rested his cheek on the top of her head, breathing in the faint smell of her shampoo. The tears stopped again and she felt clean, but she didn't move away. Dean held her until her breathing slowed and deepened and he knew she was a sleep. He listened to the rhythm of her breathing until he fell asleep too, knowing that for the moment, they had both found rest for their weary souls.

Dean woke to the insistent ringing of his cell phone. Veronica was still nestled in his shoulder. Her breathing was even a deep, her body radiating the warmth of sleep. He carefully fished his cellphone out of his pocket, trying not to disturb her.

"Sammy?" He murmured into the phone.

"Dean, where are you?" Sam's tone was urgent.

"We just went for a drive." He said, glancing down at Veronica again. She stirred against him, starting to wake up.

"We have a problem." Sam said. Dean nodded. When didn't they have a problem? "I went to Vinnie's last night. I found his alter and destroyed it."

"How is that a problem? That means the spell is broken." Dean asked, his voice still low.

"There's been no change in Keith Mars." Sam answered. Dean shut his eyes.

"Awesome." He said. For just a moment, with Veronica sleeping against him and the not-quite-silence of an early morning beside the ocean, he'd felt peaceful. But now he could feel the familiar weight settle on his shoulders. He sighed.

"And… I found sulphur." Sam said reluctantly.

"Great, Sammy, any other good news?" He growled at the phone. Veronica, hearing his voice, opened her eyes. For a moment she didn't know where she was, and then she remembered. She moved her head to look at Dean, a sleepy smile on her lips. He turned his head towards her, the frown fading as he looked her. His eyes flashed at her and he pulled her closer. She snuggled back down on to his shoulder.

"So… what?" Dean said to Sam. Sam sighed.

"I don't know, Dean. Can you come back?" He asked.

"Yeah. We stopped not too far out of town." Dean said. Sam was silent. "Shut up Sammy, nothing happened."

"I didn't say anything, Dean." Sam said.

"We're coming back." Dean said, and closed his phone. Veronica sat up, her face serious. She'd gotten enough of the conversation to know something was wrong. He smiled at her and brushed a lock of hair away from her face.

"Is he mad?" She asked quietly, feeling guilty for the things she had screamed at Sam. Dean shook his head.

"No, it's not that. But we need to get back to Neptune." He said, but didn't start the car. He just looked at her, trying to decide how to tell her that her dad wasn't better, that there was some seriously bad mojo going down. Why is it never easy? He thought. Why is it never straight forward and simple? Just once in my life I'd like a hunt to go the way I plan.

"How did you sleep?" He asked her instead. She smiled again.

"Surprisingly well." She said. He smiled at her, then leaned over and kissed her. This time, his kiss wasn't innocent. This time it suggested that they could stay here a little longer, maybe explore the back seat together. She responded in the same way, and when he pulled away, her eyes were full of fire.

"We have to go back." He said reluctantly. His eyes lingered on her lips, and then slowly traveled over her body and back up again. A slight blush rose to her cheeks under his warm gaze, but she smiled at him. He smiled back, but it faded quickly as he tried to think of how to tell her what Sam had said. "look, you'll hate me if I don't tell you this now…" He started. He shot her a concerned look, and her face went immobile. He could see her bracing herself for bad news. The worst news. "No, no, he's not dead, Veronica." He said quickly, gently caressing her shoulder to reassure her. Her face relaxed. "But he's not different." He began to tell her what Sammy had told him. She listened in silence, trying to make sense of it.

"You said it wasn't demons." She said.

"It wasn't. But it is now." He started the car just to keep his hands busy. She saw how he put his hands on the steering wheel, as if the car was not a machine but an extension of himself. The way he readjusted his grip slightly so he would have complete control. The way he settled back into the driver's seat, as though it was his place in the world. When he turned to look at her, a smile was on her lips. She leaned over to kiss him, pressing her lips chastely to his cheek. Surprised, he let her lean back and move a little away from him. She turned to sit in the passenger seat, trying to get her mind on the case.

"uh." He said. "We can… later…" Usually self-assured with women, Dean was thrown off by her simple gesture. Girls would kiss Sammy like that, not him. He wasn't about sweet little kisses, most girls didn't want that from him. He glanced over at her and the trace of a smile was still on her face, though he could see that she was putting her mind back in working mode.

"Later." She agreed. "So tell me about demons." He turned onto the PCH and gave her a quick outlines of demons as they drove back to Neptune. Devil's traps and possession and exorcisms, oh my. She thought as she took in the information. It was a lot to assimilate, but her mind moved fast and if she didn't stop to analyze how crazy it really was, she could accept it.

"So... how do they make deals?" She asked next. Dean's jaw tightened and so did his grip on the wheel. She put a hand on his shoulder. "Sam told me-"

"Sam should mind his own goddamn business." He growled.

"Dean, it is his business." She said quietly. His shoulders tensed.

"It's my soul." He replied angrily, shaking her hand off. She withdrew it, unoffended.

"It's his life." She answered. Dean wouldn't look at her. She sighed. "I'm not asking about your deal, or why you did it. Just… how a demon buys a soul." He glanced at her. He knew she was the same kind of stupid he was, that if something was important enough to her she'd do anything to protect it. No matter what it cost. Sam had been his to protect, to keep safe, and he'd failed. So he'd tried to fix it the only way he could think of. And he didn't doubt Veronica would do the same for Keith.

"I'm not putting a loaded weapon in your hands, Veronica." He said.

"I know how to shoot." She said, smiling again. But it was bitter this time, remembering the times she'd wielded a gun in defense of herself or someone she loved. "I can handle it."

"No." He said. They were back in Neptune, getting close to the Camelot.

"What if one tries to buy my soul?" She countered. "How will I know?" He shook his head.

"It has to be specific circumstances, you have to summon-" He stopped and looked sharply at her. Her face was carefully neutral. "No, Veronica." _Damn, so close._

"So what else?" She asked. "What else will help if we're… hunting demons?" He shrugged.

"Praying might help." He said. She stared at him. "Holy water, a rosary, and… try to memorize an exorcism, I guess. How are you with dead languages?" His eyes flashed at her, slightly amused. He pulled into the parking lot of the Camelot. Veronica forgot about demons for a moment, suddenly nervous to face Sam again. In the bright light of day, now that she wasn't angry, the things she'd said to him seemed so brutal. The look in his eyes when she'd mentioned Jess had been heartbreaking. Usually she could justify herself, but she knew she'd gone too far. If it was her, and someone had thrown something like that at her, she'd have a hard time forgiving them. _Here's hoping Sam is a better person than I am_, she thought.

"You okay?" Dean asked, cutting the engine. She nodded, avoiding his eyes. Dean started to open the door, but she reached out and put her hand on his wrist, not ready to leave the Impala and face the rest of the world. Dean gave her half a smile and a wink. She smiled back uncertainly.

Sam opened the door to their motel room and went towards the car. His eyes went to Dean first, making sure he was okay, and then to Veronica. She couldn't meet his eyes as she got out of the car. She took a deep breath and walked slowly towards him. Dean leaned against the driver's side door and watched Veronica and Sam. She's brave, he thought. Gotta give her that.

"Sam." Her voice was small, struggling to be strong. He didn't answer her for a moment, but he could feel Dean's eyes on him. He glanced at his brother and gave a slight shrug. Dean tilted his head, it was up to Sam to make the next move. Veronica was on her own with Sam.

"Veronica." Sam said finally, his voice gentle. She forced herself to look up at him. He was trying to wipe the anger out of his eyes, trying to remember that he was helping her, that she was someone who needed to be saved, trying to get past it. She knew she'd said something unforgivable, but he was trying to forgive her.

"Did Dean tell you about your dad?" He said, moving to business. Dean came around the Impala now that Veronica and Sam were putting their feelings away. Veronica nodded.

"So we have to fight demons?" She said.

"Pretty much." Sam frowned. "This really isn't their M.O., though. They don't go around making people sick."

"Can't we summon one and make it tell us what it's doing?" Veronica asked. Sam shook his head.

"It's not really that easy." He said. _Of course not,_ Veronica thought. Her mind was whirring, running all the facts and trying to make some sense of it. But she didn't have the knowledge base she needed.

"Maybe we could." Dean said thoughtfully.

"We don't know it's name, Dean." Sam answered.

"Did you find any witch books at Vinnie's? It could be in there." Dean replied. Sam conceded the point to his brother with a nod. Dean shot a quick grin to Veronica, who couldn't help smiling back.

"We could go take a look." Sam said, starting to move towards the Impala. Dean turned after him, and after a moment Veronica followed too.

"Dude, I'm not hunting a witch demon on an empty stomach." Dean said. "We're going to eat breakfast. Is there any real food in this town, Veronica? Something greasy and salty and _good_." Sam and Veronica both made a disgusted face at him and he laughed.

"Yeah, there's a diner not far from here." She answered. Dean's eyes lit up.

"Show me." He said. Veronica grinned at his eagerness.

"I'll give you directions. I have to go home." She told him. "My friends are worried, if I don't get in touch with them they'll send out the National Guard." She smiled, thinking of Mac and Wallace. Her eyes turned to Dean the way they used to always turn to Logan, and she was puzzled by the hungry expression in his eyes. He was looking at her like she might possibly be salvation, and she couldn't think why. It was because she had so much happiness, so much normal, she didn't realize it. Sure, bad shit had happened to her and it had been hard on her. But she had friends who cared enough to be worried after a couple hours of not hearing from her, she had a dad who loved her and tried to do his best by her, instead of dragging her into some quest for revenge that would have left her as fucked up as he was. And Dean felt the need to preserve that for her; as much as he wanted her, as much as he thought she'd make a damn good hunter, he wanted her to go back to her life. A life that the Winchesters should have never intruded on. The best he could do for her was leave. After he saved her dad. If he could think of her having an apple pie life, it might help when he was in Hell. It would help him hold on to his humanity.

You stupid jerk, Sam thought. He recognized Dean's expression. He was going to deny himself Veronica for some stupid reason that would seem noble and good and fucking heroic. But Sam wouldn't let him. Not this time. Dean had given everything he could, had spent his life denying himself the things he wanted in the name of the greater good. And if a year was all he had left, if only 363 days were left, Sam would make damn sure Dean would get everything he wanted.

"what… what?" Veronica said. There were suddenly a lot of feelings roiling between the brothers, a lot of things she didn't understand. Dean was looking at her like he couldn't possibly want her more, and Sam was looking pissed off and pensive. Jesus, these guys can brood. "Or do we need to talk about all the feelings?" The corners of Sam's mouth twitched as he caught her eyes. An answering twitch of her lips made them friends again.

"I just need to eat." Dean said, but his eyes lingered on her. His gaze was warm and longing, and she felt like she could just melt into the green depths of his eyes and lose herself forever. _Next I'll write a poem about his eyes_, she thought to herself. But she couldn't help the answering flash of her eyes, couldn't help going towards him to lean into him and smile up at him. She reached for him and to pull him into a kiss, and even though he resisted a little, he let her. Sam smiled to himself, discreetly sliding into the back seat of the Impala. Dean didn't notice. He looked into Veronica's eyes; when she was close like this, it was harder to think that he could just walk away from her. Seeing her advantage, she pressed herself close to him and kissed him again, and this time his arms went around her, holding her close.

"Breakfast." She whispered against his mouth. He closed his eyes and nodded. He held her close for another moment, breathing her in, and then released her. She got into the Impala on his side. She sat close to him and he brushed her thigh with the back of his hand as he drove. They were oblivious to Sam in the back seat. Sam looked out the window, hoping they wouldn't notice his smile.

Later, after a quick shower- a little colder than normal, she needed to cool down after that ride with Dean- Veronica sat at her kitchen table, her laptop open in front of her. She was researching cross roads deals. She was reading quickly, because Sam and Dean would be back soon. After a while, she closed her laptop and closed her eyes, organizing information. She didn't write anything down, just tried to commit as much as possible to memory. Sam and Dean had gone to eat, and then to try to find Vinnie's spell book. She didn't want them to come in and find her with a spell in her hands or demonology on her computer. It wasn't that she didn't trust them to be able to help her dad. It was more like after years of things not going her way, she'd learned to make a contingency plan. In a worst case scenario, it was best to be prepared.

She sighed and picked up her phone. She dialed a familiar number, hoping he'd talk to her, hoping he'd listen.

"Logan?" She said, relieved when he answered. "Listen, I need your help…"


	4. Chapter 4

Vinnie's spell book was a bust. "Spell book" was a generous term for it; it was a collection of papers held together with a paper clip. Sam flipped through it. It was a lot of white magic bullshit from the internet, a lot of "think positive" and "visualize your desires" and "do no harm" type of crap. If the witches they dealt with did this kind of magic, their lives would be a lot easier. It wasn't that he didn't believe in white magic; with so much bad shit in the world, there had to be a balance somewhere. It was just that most of these spells wouldn't cause the kind harm of harm Vinnie had caused Keith. And it still bugged the hell out of him that Keith wasn't dead. A serious bad witch would have killed Keith straight up. None of this lingering illness crap. Vinnie had gotten something muddled, and demons came into it somewhere, and Sam was frustrated he couldn't see how it all fit together.

Dean and Veronica were leaning on the kitchen island; Sam was in an armchair, going over the papers while Dean and Veronica examined each other's fake IDs.

"No, see, your ink bled a little here. If someone actually looked at it they'd know it's fake." Veronica said, picking up one of Dean's IDs. "And the blue here is too dark." Dean shrugged.

"No one looks that closely."

"Your Fed ID is perfect, though." She said, picking up Dean's FBI badge. "I actually can't tell the difference."

"This one says you're 25!" Dean said. "Obvious fake." He flashed a grin at her.

"I can pass for 25." She said indignantly. His eyes went over her petite frame and her delicate features.

"No way. You get into clubs with this?" He said, picking it up. He realized it wasn't a fake ID. It was an actual State of California ID, but the birthdate was wrong. "How did you get this?" She smiled, her eyes dancing.

"If I told you, I'd have to kill you." She teased.

"I'd like to see you try." Dean challenged her, a suggestive grin on her lips. She grinned back, her eyes holding his and then travelling slowly to his lips and back to his eyes. Dean felt the look all over his body, as though she were actually touching him. She's just a kid, he tried to remind himself, but with her eyes blazing like that and that tantalizing smile, he didn't want to remember. He wanted to see what she'd do if he kissed her lips, her neck, her shoulders. He wanted to feel her skin under his hands and make her gasp with delight when he touched her. He could see the same desire in her eyes, and he didn't care that she was maybe too young for him or what it might mean if they did go that far. He could see she didn't care either, she just wanted him. Her lips on his, her hands sliding over his shoulders, their bodies pressed together. Dean's eyes went a shade darker, their green depth lighting up with desire, and neither cared that they might be making promises they couldn't keep.

Sam coughed discreetly. He was surprised the whole apartment hadn't burned down from the heat Dean and Veronica were generating. He wanted to remind them that he was here, because it seemed like they'd forgotten and they were three seconds from ripping off each other's clothes. And he definitely didn't want to see that. Dean broke eye contact with Veronica reluctantly, but they swayed closer to each other. Sam thought it was a pretty good time for him to make an exit.

"Uh. I'm going to get lunch." He said, trying too hard to be casual. Dean flickered an annoyed look at him. "I'm going to call Bobby about this spell, it's bothering me. You guys want anything?" Besides each other, Sam added to himself with a grin.

"I can make lunch, you don't have to-" Veronica started. Dean interrupted her.

"No, Sammy wants to. He wants to go for a long drive." He said, tossing Sam the keys to the Impala. "Sam'll be back later." Dean said, his eyes on hers. A blush rose to her cheeks under his intense graze, but she held her eyes to his. Sam left, a chuckle escaping him as he closed the door.

Veronica's heart was pounding so hard she was sure Dean could hear it. Sam's exit had given her just enough time to doubt herself, to doubt Dean, to tell herself that it was a dumb idea. Dean saw doubt in her eyes, and his smile relaxed from suggestive to reassuring. He put his hand under her chin so she couldn't look away from him. He closed the space between them, waiting for her to make a move. She rose to her tip toes and pressed her lips to his. For a moment he didn't move, and then his arms went around her, pulling her close, and his lips moved against hers. She melted against him as his hands slid over her and he kissed her back. He buried one hand in her hair, the silky mass tangling in his fingers. Her hands went to his shoulders and trailed down his arms. He pulled away from her to catch his breath, to think for a moment.

"Veronica…" He trailed off. "Only if you want to." She laughed, the sound throaty and suggestive.

"Want to? Jesus Christ, Dean." She said breathlessly. He wanted to say more, but she kissed him again, slower and deeper. "Shut up." She said against his mouth. He kissed her and his hand slid up her shirt, surprisingly gentle for a guy who fought demons for a living. Her skin felt electric under his touch, and as he tipped his head forward to kiss her neck, the world slipped away from her. The only thing that mattered was his lips on her, his hands on her, the feel of his body next to hers. She pressed close to him and made a sound in her throat as his hands slid down to her hips. She was all desire; she couldn't get enough of him. He pulled her shirt off, his hands sliding down her arms as he let her shirt fall to the floor. His lips trailed over her collarbone and her hands went to his shoulders, pulling him closer. She tugged his shirt up, wanting it gone. He took it off and kissed her, his lips urgent. He was surprised his hands trembled slightly as he unbuttoned her pants and slid them down her hips, like he was some kid at prom. Her hands tugged at his belt too, with an urgency that matched his. He lifted her and put her on the counter so he could reach her better. He looked into her eyes and realized his breathing was as heavy as hers. The corners of his mouth twitched and she smiled back.

"Dean." She said, her voice husky with lust. The sound of her saying his name drove him close to the edge. He didn't say anything, but caught her gaze and held it for moment. She let out a little sigh and closed her eyes, enjoying the pleasure of him thrusting into her. She moved her hips against him, quickening the pace, and he followed her lead. She couldn't help moaning now, and she said his name as she gripped his shoulders. He groaned in answer. He quickened the pace again but she stayed with him, her hips rocking in time with his. He could feel her getting away from him, reaching her peak before him, and he didn't want to let her. He put his hands on her waist, slowing her down. Her throaty moan escaped her lips and she leaned towards him, her mouth seeking his. She moaned against his lips, and her hips pushed harder against his. He followed her again, suddenly so close to the edge he could feel himself losing control. He wanted to look at her, but she kept her mouth on his, her hands in his hair. He put his arms around her as she breathed his name, her limbs going liquid with pleasure. A moment later, he felt the delicious build up that meant he was about to come. She felt him quicken and moaned his name in his ear. He let out a growling moan and she rocked against him, wanting more, wanting everything. She clung to him as she reached her peak, saying his name. He couldn't hold back any more and with another thrust, he said her name too, full of lust and satisfaction.

After a few moments, he moved away from her, letting her slid off the counter. She started to reach for her clothes but he put his arms around her and pulled her close, resting his head on top of hers. He was already determining that this wouldn't happen again, that he wouldn't taint her with his presence. But for the moment, he took comfort in her.

Sam's conversation with Bobby wasn't comforting. He'd gotten into the Impala and dialed Bobby's number.

"Hey Bobby." Sam said when Bobby answered.

"Hey boy." Bobby answered. "How's the witch thing coming?"

"Listen to this." Sam said, reading out the Latin. As he heard the words out loud, he realized what was wrong with it and smiled grimly.

"Repeat that?" Bobby said. Sam reread it, carefully pronouncing every word. Bobby sighed.

"What kind of idjit witch are you dealing with?" Bobby demanded. "That's all kinds of wrong."

"Yeah." Sam said.

"That witch tied a cross roads demon to a sickness spell! I didn't even know that was possible." Bobby said. "The way it's worded, you have to exorcize the demon to get rid of the sickness."

"Yeah. But not just anybody can summon the demon, can they? It has to be…" Sam read the Latin to himself again. "A pure soul." He let out a sarcastic laugh.

"Well, that puts you and Dean out. Dean's already sold his soul, and you…" Bobby trailed off, leaving a lot of things unsaid. You have demon blood in you. You died and came back. You were supposed to be the leader of the Armies of Hell. Your brother sold his soul for you. But Sam knew there was no judgement from Bobby. Facts were facts, and he knew them as well as Bobby did. Those things didn't need to be said, and Bobby moved on. "I think it puts pretty much every hunter I know out, too. There's blood on every hunter's hands." Sam nodded, shutting his eyes. He thought of Jo Harvelle, but rejected the idea. She'd come and might be able to summon the demon, but Dean wouldn't like that. And Ellen would kill him if he put Jo in that much danger. He was sure he'd be able to exorcize the demon before the deal was sealed, but still. Ellen Harvelle had a bad side he did not want to get on.

"What should I do?" Sam asked, though he knew Bobby didn't have an answer.

"I don't know, Sam. A pure soul? Pretty hard to find these days." Bobby said. An idea flashed in his head, but he pushed it away. If Dean would be upset by putting Jo in that kind of danger- Jo, who had been raised around hunters and was turning into a damn good hunter herself, who knew how to handle herself in a dangerous situation- he'd go ballistic if he knew what Sam was thinking. Besides, he'd hate himself if he asked Veronica to do that. He was supposed to be helping her, not putting her soul on the line.

"Sam, what are you thinking?" bobby asked. Sam shock his head.

"Nothing, Bobby."

"Don't do anything stupid, Sam." Bobby said. "At least not stupider than usual."

"Yeah." Sam said. Bobby paused.

"And look after your brother." Now Sam was silent.

"I'll try." He said after a moment. It was the best he could do.

"Take care, boy."

"You too, Bobby." Sam snapped his phone shut, thinking. Maybe he wouldn't have to ask Veronica. He was impressed how fast her mind worked. Maybe if he gave her the facts, she'd figure it out by herself. But then, Dean would be a problem. Dean wouldn't want Veronica endangering herself. Sam had a hard time thinking of Veronica as a damsel in distress, but he knew Dean would see it differently. She was an innocent, one of the people they spent their lives saving. He'd try to stop her, try to do everything himself to spare her. As he always did. But Dean couldn't do it this time, and Sam knew Veronica could. Anybody else might give him pause, but he trusted that Veronica could do what needed to be done. She was made of the same kind of steel the Winchesters were, though she was forged in a different fire. The best compliment Sam could give her was to trust her to be able to handle herself, and he did. He'd give her the information and try to work himself into her plan.

When he got back to Veronica's, Dean and Veronica were sitting on the couch, watching TV. Dean's arm was comfortably around her, and she was snuggled into his shoulder. Sam couldn't help the smirk that crossed his face, but managed to wipe it away before Dean looked at him. Knowing his little brother, though, Dean still shot him a hard glare. Sam's lip twitched and he tossed a paper bag of food at Dean, sitting down in the big arm chair.

"Guys have a nice afternoon? " Sam said, his voice neutral but his eyes teasing. Dean gave him another glare, but Veronica's eyes danced in response.

"Nice is a word for it, yes." Veronica said with a grin. Her eyes caught Dean's and his expression softened.

"Here, I got you a salad." Sam said, handing her a bag. "I didn't think you'd like Dean's heart attack inducing cheeseburger."

"Life is short, right?" Dean said with a cocky grin. Pain tightened Sam's chest as he thought how short Dean's life would be. He fought down the retort that was rising to his lips, though, fought the urge to fight with his brother. He glanced at Veronica, whose eyes were sympathetic. He tilted his head at her and the corner of her mouth went up.

"So I talked to Bobby." He said, and told them about the spell. Veronica frowned and Dean shook his head.

"What an asshole." He muttered, his mind working. "So how do we gank it?"

"We need a pure soul to summon the demon." He said evenly, his eyes catching Veronica's for a moment. "At a crossroads, at midnight. Like a regular crossroads demon." Sam explained. Veronica sat very still, listening.

"A pure soul?" Dean repeated.

"Yeah. Bobby thinks you and I are out. I'm… tainted, and you… your soul is already sold." He said, not looking at Dean. "Bobby thinks other hunters are out too. But I have an idea." He didn't look at Veronica either, it was important that Dean didn't realize what Sam was telling her. Details would distract him. "Jo."

"Sammy-" Dean said, his voice dangerous.

"I know. Ellen would kill us." A small smile passed over his face as he remembered the uncomfortably silent drive back to the Roadhouse with Ellen when Jo had joined them to hunt the ghost of a serial killer. Jo had been bait, and she'd been in real danger, but they'd all come through fine, Jo and the boys in one piece. Ellen hadn't quite seen it that way, though.

"Bobby said he'd look into it, so we're just going to have to sit tight." He paused. "We could try a summoning spell at the hospital. It's a long shot, but it could work." Dean nodded. Bobby had said no such thing, but Sam knew Dean so well, he knew what would distract him long enough to give Veronica a chance.

"Okay. Let's summon it to the hospital." Dean said, starting to move.

"In the middle of the day? We have to wait until at least dark." Sam said reproachfully. Dean gave Sam a hard look. He might not be as smart as Sam, but he wasn't stupid. Sam kept his face as innocent and puppy dog as he could and did not look at Veronica.

"Jesus, is he always this much of a pain in the ass?" Veronica said, exasperated.

"Yes." Sam answered, still holding Dean's gaze. Dean sighed.

"I'll go to the hospital. I'll summon it." Dean said. Sam dropped his eyes so Dean wouldn't see the victory there. Dean turned to Veronica, his tone softening. "Don't get any dumb ideas, Veronica. I'll take care of this." His hand found hers, fingers entwining. Sam let out a huff of annoyance because Dean had caught on. But he saw the way Dean looked at Veronica and knew that was only thinking of her, working from what he knew of her. What Sam had told her didn't register at all.

"My soul probably isn't that pure anyways." She said, thinking of the past year and all the people she'd hurt. "And I wouldn't know how to do an exorcism." Dean relaxed a little and Sam nodded, already trying to figure out a way to get her an exorcism spell without Dean noticing. And then he froze. She hadn't said she didn't know how to summon a demon, she'd said she wouldn't know how to exorcize one.

His eyes went to her and found her looking back to him, her eyes steady. He tilted his head slightly, the way he would at Dean, and she gave a very tiny nod. And he knew his trust in her wasn't misplaced. He flashed a smile at her and she smiled back briefly, and then turned to Dean. Sam leaned back, eating his lunch thoughtfully. Veronica was not someone to underestimate. His admiration of her went up more. She was formidable, and he almost felt sorry for whatever demon she would be facing.

Almost.

Dean and Sam had stayed with Veronica until after 10 pm. They'd watched movies, and Sam had done some research on Veronica's computer. Dean had given him a suspicious look when he'd asked to use Veronica's lap top, but didn't say anything. His belief in his ability to fix this for Veronica was firm, so whatever Sam and Veronica were up to was moot. There would be no need for half hatched plans and stupidity on their parts. Dean had it covered.

After 10, he'd decided it was plenty of time to go to the hospital and try to summon a demon. He'd gotten the supplies ready, but then went back into the apartment.

"Sammy, don't let her leave. Don't let her do anything… anything. We'll handle this." He said, his eyes flickering to her as he spoke in a low voice to his brother. Sam nodded earnestly. Dean was still wary about what had passed between Sam and Veronica that afternoon, but he was sure if this summoning worked- and if Bobby had said it, it almost certainly would- he didn't need to worry about it. He kissed Veronica before he left, trying to let her know he'd take care of it and she didn't need to worry. He drove to the hospital, something nagging at the back of his mind. He pulled into the parking lot, turning it over in his mind. When did Sam agree so readily? Why hadn't Veronica said anything when he left? Why did he get the feeling something was off about this? And since _when_ could you summon a cross roads demon _away _ from a crossroads and before midnight? Demons had _rules_.

With a sound of annoyance, Dean took his phone out of his pocket and dialed Bobby.

"Dean? I thought you had that cross roads demon-witch to take care of." Bobby said.

"Yeah. I'm at the hospital." Bobby waited. "To do the summoning spell you told Sam about?"

"The hospital?" Bobby repeated. "Dean, it's a cross roads demon. You of all people should know when and where to summon a cross roads demon." Dean closed his eyes. "Balls. What is Sam up to?"

"I don't know." Though he had a sick feeling that he _did_ know.

"You boys have a talent for stupidity, I'll give you that." Bobby said. "Go find your brother, and you call me the minute you find him so I can tear him a new one." Bobby hung up, and Dean was momentarily comforted by Bobby's concern. He sped back to Veronica's, hoping the ten minutes he'd been gone hadn't been enough for them to take off. He'd thought they didn't have supplies, but with a sickening twist of his gut, he remembered handing Sammy the keys to the Impala. The Impala that had the arsenal, which included summoning supplies. He pulled up outside of Veronica's apartment, and saw all the lights were out. They had ten minutes on him, he didn't know what she drove, and he had no idea where the right cross roads was.

"Son of a bitch!" He yelled.


	5. Chapter 5

Veronica asked Sam to drive, she was too nervous. They had passed the Impala as it sped back to Veronica's, and Sam had been sure Dean would spot them. He felt a little guilty for lying to Dean, but Dean didn't need to be the goddamn hero all the time. This was the best way to save Veronica's dad, and Dean was disqualified from doing it because he'd already sold his soul for Sam. And, dammit, wasn't that heroic enough? Wasn't that enough of a sacrifice for Dean to make? Why was he already trying to put his soul- his_ life_- in more jeopardy? Sam glanced at Veronica with a sigh.

"I don't know for sure if this will work." He said. He was obligated to tell her, obligated to let her know what the full consequences would be. "If the demon figures out our plan, we're _screwed_. It might force a deal on you, or…" He paused, glancing over at her again. Her blue eyes shone in the dark as she waited. "It could take Dean." And this was the real reason Sam hadn't wanted Dean at the cross roads. If something went wrong, if the demon got angry enough, it was just possible that it could take Dean early. "Or it could cancel Dean's deal." That was the scariest prospect of all. Not that he could die again, but what his death- permanent this time- would do to Dean. Veronica let out a humourless laugh.

"Yeah. No pressure or anything." She said. Sam laughed, equally humorless. "I memorized the incantation. I memorized everything I'd need to do a summoning. I'm prepared." She said. Sam glanced at her, this time amused and curious.

"About that." He said, and then waited for her to explain.

"Just in case. I looked some stuff up. I was pretty sure you'd have all the stuff I needed." She said. He considered that.

"In the Impala." He said. "You didn't know I'd help you."

"I…" She trailed off. Sam let out a laugh, amused.

"Jesus. You weren't going to break into the Impala? Dean would _kill_ you." He said. She shrugged, but she smiled conspiratorially at him.

"You've got grit." He said approvingly. "Actually, you kind of remind me of Jo."

"Who's Jo?" She asked, glad to keep talking. If she thought too much about what she was about to do, she might lose her courage.

"A friend of ours, her and her mom Ellen. She grew up in a roadhouse around hunters. Her dad was in the life." He laughed again. "The first time we met them? Ellen got the best of me and had a gun on me before I could think. Jo punched Dean right in the face. And she's not much bigger than you." Veronica smiled, but it was strained. Sam glanced at her, curious, and then he realized. The smile faded from his face. "They weren't anything to each other. Honestly. She's more like a sister we never had." Which wasn't entirely the truth; clearly Jo had feelings for Dean, and Dean had felt attracted as well. But Dean hadn't acted on it, and the way Jo had left things after Philly, Sam was pretty sure there wouldn't _be_ anything between them.

"You don't have to explain anything." Veronica said, trying to keep the anger out of her voice. "I know you'll leave as soon as this is finished." Sam was surprised. He could see Veronica was more than some random hook up to Dean; the way his eyes lingered her, the soft smile when he looked at her, his utter determination to spare her any pain, showed that Dean felt more for her than his usual one night stands. He'd thought Veronica was smart enough to see that.

"It's not like that." Sam said, pulling onto a small road leading away from the PCH. They were getting close to the cross roads, he should be making sure she knew what she had to do, not having this conversation about Dean.

"Oh." She said, unconvinced. "I'm special. Like he's never said _that_ before." Sam glanced at her but she avoided his eyes.

"He didn't say, Veronica, that's the point. He didn't say anything to me about you." He answered.

"Comforting." She answered. Sam sighed.

"He doesn't talk about stuff he cares about. He didn't talk to you about me, did he?" Sam said. Veronica was momentarily silenced. She hadn't expected that. "He wouldn't. Because I matter too much to him. And apparently you do, too. Or at least he thinks you could."

"As if that matters." She said, but there was no anger in her now. Sam didn't reply, and they watched the road, trying not to think about why it wouldn't matter. "Stop. Here." She said. They'd gotten to the cross roads. Sam felt fear roil in his stomach as he turned the car off.

"You don't have to do this. We can find another way." He said. She shook her head.

"You know this is our best shot." She said, but she felt afraid too. "Sam, I… I'm sorry. About last night. I shouldn't have…" now he shook his head and offered a small smile.

"It's okay." He said. "I get it." And she knew he did. It was weird how well they understood each other. If things were different maybe they could have been friends. She thought of Stanford and a whole slew of maybes inundated her, but she pushed them away. She'd learned not to think of what might have been. It was painful and useless and she had work to do.

"Okay. Let's do this." She said, her voice little shaky. Sam nodded. He grabbed the bag of supplies he'd prepared earlier and got out of the car a moment later, Veronica followed. She went to take the bag from him when his phone rang. He answered it, knowing it would be Dean.

"You stupid son of a bitch. I'm coming to get you and you are going to be so fucking dead when I get there." Dean growled at him. "What are you thinking? If she gets hurt, I'm gonna-"

"Dean-"

"Shut up! This is all kinds of stupid, what's wrong with you?" Dean yelled. Sam hung up on him and went to Veronica.

"Dean's coming. Let's do this." He said. She looked up in him, fear in her eyes. "I'm here, you can do this." He said, his voice low.

"I'm more scared it won't work." She said, her voice small. It had to work, she couldn't take much more of Keith lying in that hospital bed. She understood completely why Dean had sold his soul for Sam. The desperation he must have felt, the loneliness. Keith was her rock, the solid foundation her entire life was built on. Even when she'd disappointed him, even when she worried him and scared him and fought with him, she knew he loved her. His love was the one constant good in her life. And when it came down to it, he was the one person she couldn't do without. Of course she knew one day she'd lose him, but she wasn't prepared to lose him yet. So this had to work. One way or another.

Sam watched her face, saw everything she was feeling. He did the only thing he could think of. He reached out and pulled her into a hug. Because words would be inadequate, and there was nothing left to say anyway. She leaned against him, his solidity and size a comfort. After a moment, she pulled away from him and offered him a forlorn smile.

"Thanks Sam." He nodded. "Let's get this evil son of a bitch."

Dean raced back to their room at the Camelot, hoping there would be some clue, something that would help him find Sam and Veronica. It was a long shot; Sam could be a sneaky little fucker. As he expected, there was nothing. Frustrated, he kicked a chair. It fell over with an unsatisfying rattle. He glared at it, willing it to give him some attitude so he could work out some anger. He couldn't think clearly, he was too pissed at Sam and worried for Veronica. The idea of her putting herself directly in danger, and Sam letting her do it, made his stomach clench. He tried to tell himself he barely knew her, that they'd be roaring out of town as soon as this was over and would probably never see her again, but he knew that wasn't true. He'd come back if he could. If she'd let him. If she didn't think it was a waste of time because he was going to hell.

Why couldn't I meet her before all of this… this? He thought, but he knew that was futile. Of course he'd meet Veronica only after he'd sold his soul. He was a Winchester, that was how life was for him. He had nothing to offer her and knew it would be unfair to ask anything of her, but he couldn't help the way he felt. He wanted to be a part of her life, wanted more of her than he knew he should.

He kicked the chair again just for good measure. It had looked like it was trying to get uppity with him. While he had a staring match with the chair, the door to the motel opened quietly. He felt the prickling on his neck that told him someone was watching him, and he looked up, reaching for his gun. Which wasn't there because he'd been at Veronica's all day. Logan Echolls looked back at him from the doorway, his eyes flashing with anger.

"What the fuck do you want?" Dean snarled, spoiling for a fight. Logan laughed at him.

"Where's Veronica?" He replied. Dean clenched his jaw. "Putting herself in danger. Doing something stupid. Because you told her her dad was taken by a demon." Logan took a step into the room. Dean tensed, judging the space between them. "She's always been reckless. Especially when Keith is involved." Dean nodded, he got that. "Did you know that she thought she lost him once before? She was wrecked. She was… broken. And she thinks she's losing him again. Then you tell her some crazy story about demons and witches and now she's gone." Logan's voice was rising.

"I didn't tell her anything!" Dean defended himself. "I mean, yeah, I told her that a demon was tied to her dad's sickness because a witch-"

"Do you hear how crazy that sounds?" Logan said, taking another step into the room. "Shit. She could get hurt or killed because of you." The fight went out of Dean.

"I know. But I don't know where they went." He said. "I'll… I'll try to stop her, if I knew where they were I could make it on time, but… I don't know where they are."

"So what, we just wait until they come back? _If_ they come back?" Logan demanded.

"Is there a cross roads around here?" Dean asked.

"What, like an intersection? Pick a corner, precious." Logan scoffed.

"No." Dean said, gathering his thoughts. Logan's anger had focused him. "Somewhere off the highway, but near a bar. It'll be kind of… deserted and if you come on across you'll think it's a little weird how perfect it looks, like cross. There will be plants growing all around the edges too." Logan's face changed slightly, some of the anger going out. A look of recognition flashed across his face. "Where?" Dean demanded. "We might still have time."

"I'll tell you how to get there." Logan answered. "If you take me with you." Dean looked at him. "I have to know she's okay. I have to see her. I… she means a lot to me." And Dean couldn't say no to the vulnerable look that fell over Logan's face. When Sam Winchester was your little brother, you became susceptible to puppy eyes, especially when those eyes were full of pain and pleading.

"Fine. Don't get in the way, though." Dean said reluctantly. "And we're taking my car." Logan didn't protest, and Dean left the room. When they got in the car, he pulled out his cell phone and dialed Sam.

"You stupid son of a bitch. I'm coming to get you and you're going to be so fucking dead when I get there. What are you thinking? If she gets hurt, I'm gonna-"

"Dean-"

"Shut up! This is all kinds of stupid, what's wrong with you?" Dean yelled. "Sam, you have no right-" but it was useless, Sammy had hung up on him. He hit the steering wheel in frustration. Logan watched him.

"Trouble in paradise?" Logan said with a smirk.

"Shut up." Dean started the car. "Which way?" Logan started giving him directions, and with a churning in the pit of stomach, Dean hoped they'd get there in time.

Veronica finished the incantation and waited. She looked around, nervous, but nothing happened. She licked her lips. More nothing. Her eyes went to Sam.

"Did I do it right?" She asked him. He nodded. She saw his face change and she turned around. She saw Vinnie Van Lowe with his stupid grin. Her eyes met his and she went cold. His eyes were red. Not weekend in Tijuana red, but completely, frighteningly blood red.

"Veronica Mars. I wondered how long it would take you to summon me. Especially after those two assholes with shotguns rolled into town." He said. His eyes flicked to Sam. "Ah. Thing Two." He chuckled. Veronica had never particularly liked Vinnie- he was sleazy and underhanded and vulgar- but this Vinnie made her skin crawl. His voice sounded like Vinnie, but not quite. There was a slight hissing in the back of his throat. All her courage drained out of her as she listened to him talk. "Sam Winchester. Elected leader of the Armies of Hell. I don't know why Azazel chose you, honestly. You're too good for hell. And that_ isn't_ a compliment."

"I'm so hurt by that." Sam said, keeping his voice even. Veronica turned her eyes to him. _Leader of the Armies of Hell? _Sam_? _She thought. Vinnie turned to her.

"Oh yeah. Sammy here had a whole destiny. He was_ chosen_." The demon sneered. "As if he was worthy. I was rooting for Jake."

"can we… can we talk?" Veronica asked, reeling from the information. "I didn't summon you here so you could flirt with Sam." The demon grinned, and it was grotesque parody of the real Vinnie.

"All business. I like it." He said. "What can I do for you, girly?" Veronica swallowed hard, her eyes flickering to Sam again.

"My dad." She said. "Release him." The demon made a sympathetic face. Veronica closed her eyes. She couldn't look at him.

"I would, but… I don't want to." He said. "See, Daddy has given me so much more power than I had before. His life is feeding me. If I keep him alive and unconscious, I'll have power until.. .well, he'll die sometime. But it won't be for a long time, Veronica. I could keep him alive like that for years."

"No." She said, tears in her eyes.

"You knew I wouldn't release him." The demon said gently. Veronica turned her head to him. "You had to know that. Sam lied to you. He tricked you."

"No, Veronica, I-" Sam said desperately.

"He's a liar. He wanted you to summon me so he could trap me and get me to release Dean."

"Demons lie! He's lying, Veronica, I didn't-" The demon raised his hand towards Sam. Sam flew backwards, knocked off his feet. Veronica looked at him flat on the ground. The demon's argument was compelling, there was a timber of truth in his words. And she knew Sam wanted to get Dean out of his deal. But… he was a demon. If they didn't tell believable lies, they'd have no power. She sucked in a breath, wiping the tears from her face.

"You won't give me back my dad?" She asked, her voice trembling. "Even for my soul?" Sam scrambled to his feet. The demon cocked his head to the side.

"Now that's interesting." The demon considered. "Imagine you in the pit. They'd devour you. They'd love it. They'd turn you into one of us. Eventually." He laughed.

"_Exorcizamus te, omnis immundus spiritus."_ Sam began unwilling to wait any longer. "_Omnis satanica potestas, omnis incursio-"_ He was slammed back by another flick of the demons hand. He got to his feet again. "_Infernalis adversarii, omnis legio, omnis congregatio et_-" This time the demon let out a roar and raised its other hand. Sam stopped talking, his hands clawing at his throat as the demon cut off his air supply. He sank to his knees, tying to breathe. His eyes watered and he looked at Veronica, helpless.

"Stop!" She screamed, her voice hitching.

"Ah. Was that your plan? To summon me here and have little Sammy exorcize me?" He turned to her but released Sam. Sam fell forward, sucking air into his lungs.

"No." She said. Sam looked up at her. "I came to bargain for my dad." In the distance, they heard the roar of an engine, and it was music it Sam's ears. Dean was coming.

"You're serious? Your soul for your dad?" The demon asked. She nodded. "Well. Dean Winchester certainly rubbed off on you, didn't he?" He gave her a lewd grin. She looked at him, hoping he couldn't see her trembling hands.

"Veronica…" Sam said.

"Shut up, Sam." She said, still watching the demon.

"Do you know how this works?" The demon asked her. She nodded.

"We make the deal, we seal it with a kiss." She said.

"Well, usually. If you work for the King of the Cross Roads. But I'm more powerful than that now, thanks to your dad." He said. If it was possible, his grin got more lewd. "You'll have to seal it in a more elaborate way." Revolted, she took a step back. He took a step towards her, enjoying her reaction. Sam watched, hoping this was part of Veronica's plan. She took another step back, the demon keeping pace. "Ooh, Vinnie wants this. He's always had a thing for you, Veronica. Creepy, I know. But your sassy back talk and your cute little ass… he can't resist." Another step back. Sam got back to his feet, eyes sweeping the ground. He saw what he was looking for. His respect for her notched up. A moment later, he saw the lights of the Impala. Veronica and the demon turned towards it. Dean slammed on the brakes and jumped out and Logan followed. Relief flickered over her face briefly, but long enough for the demon to hear her thoughts.

"Oh. This is the cavalry?" he said, the hiss becoming more pronounced.

"Sammy!" Dean shouted, his voice hoarse. _Yes, I'm fine too, Dean,_ she thought resentfully. The demon laughed.

"I see. Well, let's make this interesting. I'm going to call your bluff, girly. I'll release your Dad… and Dean. For your soul." Cold horror swept Sam. She wouldn't… she couldn't. He looked at Dean, who was standing completely still. His face was pale and he couldn't take his eyes off the demon.

"You can't-" He started. The Demon flicked it's eyes to him.

"I can." It said. "I can break your deal. Sammy, Keith, you, all alive and well. It's practically a bargain."

"No!" Dean said, his eyes going to Sam. "I'm not going to break my deal." He said. Anger washed over Sam. If Veronica was willing to sell her soul and save all of them, Dean couldn't refuse.

"I get 10 years?" Veronica pressed. The demon grinned.

"You can have the rest of Dean's year." It said. "I can transfer it. Think about it, Veronica." It stepped closer to her and she took an instinctive step back. "Your dad and the Winchesters. A year with them. You can fuck Dean until you're cross eyed, you get to see your dad again. You and Sam can talk about all your feelings. For a year. That's a lot. And they get to live. You can take Dean's place, you can go to hell for him."

"No. I'm not a part of this deal." Dean said. He began to move towards Veronica. The Demon looked at him, and Dean flew backwards towards the Impala. He slammed into the ground. Logan went to him and offered him a hand but Dean waved him off. "You evil fucker, you can't break my deal."

"I can. With this power, I can." The demon answered. Moving towards him, Logan's eyes went to Veronica. He couldn't stand to see her face so horrified, the pain so clearly etched there. But the worst thing was the desperate hope he saw rising in her. She was actually considering the demon's offer. He couldn't let her do it.

"Me." He said, looking at the demon. "My soul. For... them. And for her. " he said, his voice quite. She turned sharply to him, surprise on her face.

"Logan, no. No." She said, unable to suppress the sob. He went to her and brushed the hair off her face. He cupped her chin and made her look at him. Her eyes, wet with tears and dull with shock met his, full of sadness and love.

"Madison Sinclair meant nothing to me. If I could go back to that moment and change it, I would." He said. "It was always you, Veronica. Epic, remember? Bloodshed and continents?" She smiled at that.

"How touching." The demon sneered. Logan ignored him and pressed his lips to Veronica's. He pulled away and looked directly into her eyes, and Veronica saw the farewell there. Then he turned to the demon.

"How do we do this?" He said. "Sam and Dean and Keith, and what… a year? Let's seal this." Logan said, squaring his shoulders in that cocky rich-boy gesture Veronica used to hate. She put a hand on his wrist and pulled him back, away from the demon. The demon followed. Sam watched, counting the steps. Two more, he though. Just two more, come on, Veronica. And then he pushed the thought away, hoping the demon wouldn't pick up on it. But he preoccupied with Veronica and Logan.

"You know she won't be with you. You know she'll chase Dean. She's not built for forgiveness." The demon told him. "Really think about this. You won't get what you want by doing this." The demon moved so he was face to face with Logan, and Veronica pulled Logan back another step. Agonized, Dean looked at Sam. Sam flicked his eyes down, then back to Dean, and gave a little nod. Dean nodded back. They both tensed, watching for their moment.

"Yes I will." He said "I just want her to be happy." The demon laughed, leaning closer to Logan.

"Humans. So sentimental." He said. "Hang on to that warm fuzzy love, Logan. We're going to make you scream her name in hell. We'll make you weep for her, and finally curse her name for doing this to you. When we get done with you in the pit, you'll be a fearsome creature."

"Enough foreplay. Let's do this." Logan said, managing to sound bored. The demon grinned. Veronica threw a quick glance at Sam, and he leapt at the demon. At the same time, Logan grabbed Veronica and tumbled to the ground, shielding her with his body. Sam and the demon went sprawling and Dean came running, screaming Latin at the demon. The demon threw Sam off and lunged at Sam, but was thrown back.

"Devil's trap, you son of a bitch." Sam said, getting to his feet. He kicked at the dirt, revealing a line of the trap. Logan grinned at Sam.

"When we get you in the pit, Dean, the things we're going to do you… well, you'll wish you'd left Sam dead. You'll weep, just like your father." Dean faltered at the demon's words. "In the end, he cursed the day you were born, Dean. You were a burden, he said." Dean tried to resume the exorcism, but couldn't find the words. The demon laughed. Sam picked up where Dean had left off; his memory for Latin had always been better than Dean's. The demon screamed and fought against the trap, but it was useless. Veronica had copied it perfectly and Logan had followed her instructions to the letter. It was safe to let her up now, but he didn't. He just wanted to be close to her for a moment, wanted to feel the rhythm of her breathing one last time. He closed his eyes, feeling the warmth of her, the completeness of being near her. He opened his eyes and met hers. He sighed after a moment and let her up. She started to go to Dean, but turned to him. He gave a little nod. She smiled, and then turned to Dean.

"_Benedictus deus. Gloria patri._" Sam finished the exorcism. Dean grinned fiercely.

"Goodbye, you fucking evil bastard." He said. Vinnie's head went back and his mouth opened. He screamed as the demon smoke left him in swirling cloud. His body collapsed as the demon smoke disappeared. Sam and Logan went to check on him. Veronica pressed herself against Dean, unable to stop herself crying. He his arms went around her, trying to comfort her, but he knew it was more than she could deal with right now. Your first brush with the supernatural… how did you recover? She was shaking, couldn't control herself. Her ragged breath came in shuddering sobs, though she tried not to draw attention to herself. He stroked her hair, pressing her against himself, trying to give her strength. She pressed her face against his chest, needing his solidity.

"He's still alive." Sam said. "We've got to get him to the hospital." He glanced at Logan. Logan was staring at Vinnie, who was unconscious. He was still coming to terms with what he'd seen.

"You okay, man?" Sam asked softly. Logan nodded, and then shook his head and laughed.

"I don't know. It's… different up close." He said. Sam let out a small laugh; he knew that feeling. He glanced at Veronica and Dean. "Look, can you help me get him to the hospital? Dean and Veronica…" He stopped. Tact was not his strong point. Logan turned to look at Veronica and Dean for a long moment. He felt a pain twit in his chest at the sight of her seeking comfort from someone else, then turned to Sam.

"Yeah, dude. Let's get Vinnie out of here." He said, a touch of sadness in his voice.


End file.
